Wanderers
by BackseatBandits
Summary: Together, two souls begin the journey that will mark them as lovers. At night however, the two begin to dream of a man who's power is unrivaled across space and time. Somewhat AU. Mostly SasuSaku, some IndraxSaku. Rated M for later.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors' Note: This is a slightly alternate universe to the original timeline but follows the story of Sasuke and Sakura beyond The Last. We hope you enjoy.**

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For the first time in months, he saw the sunlight.

Sasuke Uchiha closed his Rinnegan eye as he stepped out of a purple portal, slowly looking around before he began to relax. He had arrived in the right world, after jumping around a few dimensions for what seemed like weeks. He felt drained, something he wasn't used to having too often. After all, he had more power than anyone else other than Naruto. Being tired wasn't something he was used to anymore. Looking around, Sasuke noticed that he was a few hours away from Konoha. It had been months since the last time he had come home, seeing no real reason to come back that often. Or at least that's what he told himself.

Sasuke placed his hand on the hilt of his katana as he began to walk, letting himself get lost in thought as he looked to the sky. He had been, other than the rare return to Konoha, gone from the village on his journey of redemption. The Uchiha knew he had a lot to pay for: Letting himself be consumed with his desire for revenge, leaving the village, and even trying to become a dictator after the war had ended. He understood the weight of his actions now. At times, Sasuke thought he'd never be able to find redemption after all the bad he did, but in the end he always kept trying. He had to. It would take time, but he felt that eventually things would work out.

"I'll only stay for the night, then leave first thing in the morning," Sasuke decided with a small nod. "The less time I stay, the better."

Sasuke's focus returned as he heard a crashing sound in the distance. His left eye still closed, the Sharingan flashed into his open eye, scanning the area as he stopped walking. Sasuke remained silent for a moment before he let out a soft sigh, shaking his head as he began walking once more.

"MAR!"

Sasuke froze once more as he heard the name. This time, the Uchiha rushed towards the noise, unsheathing his katana as he ran. When Sasuke came to a clearing, he quickly scanned the area with his Sharingan. No sign of anybody being there. Sasuke was about to turn to leave with his Sharingan spotted blood in the grass nearby. Going over, Sasuke kneeled and touched the blood, frowning. "Still warm," he murmured. The Uchiha stood and followed the blood for a few feet until it suddenly stopped. Kneeling again, Sasuke only found a small note where the blood trail ended.

"Dear Brahma: Please come back soon, brother. I'm scared. It hurts. With you gone, he hurts me even more. Please save me." Sasuke read the small note a few times with an uneasy feeling, the edges of the paper wet with blood. Sasuke put the note away in his pocket before he checked the blood once more. It was thinner than he thought it should be.

"Blood, a note, but no body. Nobody here," Sasuke muttered to himself as he stood back up. Something felt out of place.

Deciding to check the area more closely, Sasuke began walking around the area, checking the places where the grass had blood on it. After checking for a while, Sasuke found only one more item. Seeing something shine in the grass a few feet away, Sasuke quickly moved over and kneeled once more. In the grass he found a small silver necklace, the pendent being the Uchiha symbol. Seeing his clan's symbol confused Sasuke. Despite this, it also piqued his curiosity. The uneasy feeling sank deeper within him. Like the note, he decided to keep the necklace, slipping it into his pocket before deciding there was nothing else to be found in the clearing. He'd examine the necklace more closely when he got home.

Home. For the longest time, Sasuke didn't consider Konoha his home. After all, how could he? His family was dead, the Uchiha compound empty. He had, in the past, tried to push his friends away, thinking it'd make him stronger. In the end, now that he could admit it to himself, it only left him feeling empty. So why was he going back to a place that had such painful memories?

Sakura Haruno.

While Sasuke was away on his journey, he had recieved a letter from the pink haired woman. It talked about his childhood dream and how she never really gave up on him. When Sasuke had first read the letter, it gave a painful ache in his chest. After everything Sasuke had done, all the shit he put Sakura through, and she still never gave up on him. Sasuke had Sakura on his mind a lot, even before the letter. But now he felt he had to return to Konoha to see her. And yet, he felt an odd nervousness. What would he even say to her if he saw her during his quick visit? He had been away again for a few months. Had she finally moved on? Stopped waiting for him? The thought made Sasuke feel very weird. The thought of Sakura no longer waiting for him...

"Don't be an idiot. You read her letter, many times," the Uchiha quickly reminded himself, shaking the thoughts away.

Reaching into his pocket, Sasuke pulled out the letter and looked at it. He had read the letter many times. Despite having memorized every word in the letter, he still kept it, reading it almost daily at this point as he made his way home. Staring at the letter for a moment, Sasuke couldn't help but smile, if only a little.

"I suppose we'll see each other soon, Sakura."

As the last Uchiha began to walk once more, he allowed his thoughts to wander, thinking over how things ended up. Naruto had fought him after the war, refusing to let Sasuke just fall into the darkness. Sasuke, before the fight, had even used a genjutsu on Sakura to make her think he stabbed her through the chest. At the time, despite his talk of cutting ties, he couldn't make himself kill the pink haired woman. He claimed it was because it wasn't worth the chakra to really kill her, and so just shut her up with a genjutsu. Thinking back on it, Sasuke knew that this was a weak excuse. No matter how far Sasuke fell or how much he claimed their bonds meant nothing, in the end Sasuke hadn't been able to kill Sakura. And even though Sasuke had been going all out in his fight with Naruto, even that hadn't been enough to break the ties he had.

Through the years, Sasuke had been a terrible friend to Naruto and Sakura. He knew it, and knew there was no point in denying it. He had been obsessed with getting his revenge to the point of being willing to do whatever it took. He had almost killed Naruto after leaving the village, and then when they met each other again he attacked with no hesitation. He would have, yet again, tried to kill his old team. If Orochimaru hadn't stopped him, he likely would have tried.

After Sasuke had left the village, things really only got worse. The Uchiha only had revenge on his mind, wanting to kill Itachi to avenge his clan. And when he finally did kill his brother? Sasuke learned the truth that Itachi wasn't as big of a monster as he had thought. Once having learned the truth, Sasuke's heart only grew darker and he had a new goal in mind: Destroy Konoha to make them pay for what they made Itachi do. Sasuke attacked the Kages and even killed Danzo. And, when Sakura and the rest of Team Seven showed up, he had wanted to kill them too. They meant nothing to him at the moment, his mind so consumed by pain and rage. He wanted to kill his old team. The entire village would go down in flames as they felt Sasuke's rage. How could the villagers act so happy, laugh and smile, after what happened? The Uchiha clan was dead thanks to Konoha, and Sasuke would make them regret letting him live.

Shortly after this, Sasuke had taken Itachi's eyes to unlock the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. The power made Sasuke feel untouchable. With the power of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, Sasuke felt that he'd be able to destroy anybody that got in his way. In the end though, Sasuke ended up helping during the war. Of course, as soon as the war was over, Sasuke wanted to destroy all the Kage and the tailed beasts. With the power of the Rinnesharingan, and his Eternal Mangekyou, Sasuke was sure that not even Naruto would be able to stop him.

Looking down at his nub arm, Sasuke smiled only a little, knowing how well THAT plan had worked out.

But, really, it did work well. Naruto and Sakura, in the end, had saved him from becoming a true monster. If he had won the fight against Naruto, he knew things would have only gotten worse. Naruto and Sakura, never giving up on him. No matter how dark he got. No matter how many times he told them he didn't care about them, or threatened to kill them. He repeated this in his mind over and over.

Sasuke let out a breath as he looked to the sky, the clouds blocking the sun from sight. The more he thought about it, the more he felt his life was complicated to say the least.

Even as a child, Sasuke wasn't sure if he had been happy. His father always praised Itachi and treated him like he was the favorited son. Sasuke always tried his best, and yet no matter what he did, he always seemed to fall short, never getting the praise he so desperately wanted from his father. Whether it was shuriken throwing or trying to do the Uchiha clan's signature fireball jutsu, Sasuke never seemed to do anything right in his father's eyes. When Sasuke finally did manage to use the jutsu, the small praise that he got was the greatest thing he had ever heard in his life.

"You are my son, after all."

It had meant the world to Sasuke, hearing those words from his father. And then not too long after came the day that everything fell apart.

Sasuke asked himself, are there only painful memories? Sasuke's thoughts drifted to Sakura as they did so often lately. Even though at the time he acted like he hated it, now that his mind and heart weren't clouded by a bloodthirsty rage, Sasuke knew he had been foolish. Sakura had done nothing but show she cared about him, and what did he do? Ignored her. Insulted her. Attempted to murder her more than once. She too tried to kill him but it only fueled the feelings of pain in his heart.

Sasuke's ached as memories rushed through his thoughts.

Sakura crying over his body when she thought he was dead after his fight with Haku.

Sakura, when Sasuke went on a rampage with the curse seal, begging Sasuke to stop, the feeling of her arms around him as she cried.

The night that Sasuke left the village, Sakura begged him to stay, telling him she loved him. She told him that if he would stay with her, then every day they spent together would be full of fun and happiness. That being without him was like being all alone— being just like him.

Another memory, more recent, came to Sasuke's mind, making his heart ache with regret.

 _"I...I know there's nothing much I can do to stop this...But I still loved you! I never thought you'd turn out this way! I couldn't be there for you when you needed help...Or even stop you from going down that path. All I could do was just sit there and cry. It's disgraceful! But...But, Sasuke-kun! If I still have a place in that heart of yours, even if it's just a little...Please, don't go! If we're together again...I'm sure we'd be able to go back to those days..."_

Sasuke stopped walking. He frowned at the memories, staring at the clouds above with an unsure look in his eyes. How could he face Sakura? For so many years, all he had done is cause her pain. He had made Sakura cry more than he cared to admit. Tried to kill her, and had for years tried pushing her away. Could he really face Sakura? She forgave him, but could Sasuke face her when he returned home? If Sasuke really wanted to do what was best for her, he thought, he would stay away from the village, never return. If he stayed away, would Sakura finally move on and find happiness?

But she loves YOU, a voice in his head said. Sasuke thought it over and let out a weak sigh, closing his eyes as he shook his head.

"How could someone like Sakura love a criminal bastard like me?" he asked himself with an angry tone. Sasuke gripped his katana tightly.

"All I have ever done is hurt her...How could she possibly love me?!" the Uchiha screamed at himself, clenching his teeth tightly. Anger began to rise in him as he continued to yell at himself. "You don't deserve her love! How could you?! You've done nothing to earn it, and every time she tried being there, you pushed her away!" Pacing, Sasuke continued, clenching and relaxing his fist. "What could I even offer her other than a life of sorrow? She'd only continue to be sad if she was with me, wouldn't she?" His cries elicited no response from the empty path he walked alone.

It took several minutes, but eventually Sasuke managed to calm himself down from his breakdown, putting his katana back into its sheath as he let out a deep breath. "Pull it together, pull it together," he muttered as he let out a few more deep breaths. After thinking things over, Sasuke slowly nodded and looked ahead, slowly opening his Rinnesharingan eye. "She...She can make her own decisions. I can't stop how she feels, after all. I sure as hell would have scared her away by now if she was going to give up on me, right...? I...suppose I will have to face her. At least once, before I leave again. This time, I must."

When Sasuke Uchiha finally could see the gates of Konoha, the sun was starting to set. Putting on a calm facade, despite his earlier episode, Sasuke paused only briefly before letting out a final deep breath and stepping into the Hidden Leaf village.

At the gates sat a single guard in his booth, resting his head on his arms. When he felt the chakra of somebody entering the village, he instantly sat up, blinking at the sight of the last living Uchiha. Quickly wiping the drool off his chin, the man cleared his throat to get Sasuke's attention.

"Sasuke Uchiha. Will you be staying long this time?"

Sasuke glanced over at the guard, studying him with his Sharingan eye, giving the man a blank stare before looking into the village.

"No. Maybe. It depeneds, though that isn't any of your business," Sasuke finally replied in a tone that made him seem almost bored. "I'm here for...an important reason."

The guard watched Sasuke for a moment, scratching the back of his head before sighing and nodding. Since Sasuke's crimes had been forgiven after the war, the guard couldn't really stop Sasuke from coming into the village. As long as the Uchiha wasn't planning to cause any trouble, the guard saw no reason to ask any further questions and so gave the Uchiha a nod, watching for a moment as Sasuke walked away.

The first thing Sasuke noticed when he entered the village was how different things were since his last visit. There were many new shops, selling things like a few cell phones and computers. Sasuke himself wasn't sure why people found these new technologies so interesting, he himself usually sending his hawk when he kept contact at all. Free and easy. He himself didn't own a cell phone, finding them to be a little confusing and not worth the headache. Of course, he knew that eventually he'd have to give in and get one, but until it was needed he would simply stick to sending his hawk with letters.

The sounds of the village were different than he remembered, too. During his childhood, and even the last time he visited it seemed, things were usually quiet at night. But now, Sasuke heard voices from radios and televisions, people listening to music. Pointless noise to the Uchiha, who enjoyed the peace of quiet.

Already Sasuke couldn't wait to get to the abandoned Uchiha compound where he could be alone and away from everything. No sounds or lights. Simply silence.

Making his way through the village, Sasuke quickly made his way home. He felt tired and annoyed, and his head started to pound. He was drained much too quickly, and so he needed to recharge. In need of some quiet and a minute to relax, he found that it seemed impossible in the village these days, leaving him with only the creepy Uchiha compound to hide away in. When Sasuke finally made it home, he stepped up to his house and slid the key into the lock, resting his forehead against the door. Sasuke froze when he heard a familiar voice coming from behind him. Instinctively, the voice soothed his sharingan into fading away and his eyes lidded half way.

"Welcome home, Sasuke."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Sorry but we were very busy up until now! We'll be much faster with this story from now on!**

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"Sakura." Of all the ways for his day to end, Sasuke did not expect to be visited by Sakura. Sure, she was the main reason he had returned to the village, but he didn't expect to see her so soon. Letting out a soft sigh, Sasuke turned to face Sakura.

"Sakura. Why are you here?"

For a moment, Sakura simply stared at the Uchiha before she frowned a little, crossing her arms as she narrowed her eyes a little, feeling annoyed by Sasuke's greeting. He had been gone, for the most part, since the end of the war over two years ago. She didn't expect a big greeting, but at the same time Sakura had hoped for a warmer greeting.

"Good to see you too, Sasuke," Sakura finally responded, unfolding her arms. "It's been two years, and that's all you can come up with for a greeting?" she asked with a raised brow, smiling as if she was amused. Sasuke watched the woman for a few seconds before he sighed and gave a rare smile.

"I've been a bit busy is all," Sasuke admitted with a shrug, the Uchiha crossing his arms as he leaned against his house. "I was stuck in a different universe for the last few weeks," he added after a small pause, not sure how much he should let Sakura know. He didn't feel like worrying the pink haired woman for no reason, and so quickly added, "but I'm fine, I'm just a little tired. Bit hungry."

Hearing that Sasuke was hungry, Sakura smiled a little and asked, "Well, would you like to get something to eat? We haven't seen each other that much lately, so we could catch up as we eat." Sakura studied Sasuke as the man simply stared and for a moment Sakura was worried Sasuke would refuse her offer. But finally the Uchiha gave a slight nod and pushed himself off the side of his house, standing up straight before he began to walk. Sakura followed at his side, her hands behind her back. The two were quiet as they walked, both not sure what to say to the other. Luckily, the walk didn't last long and the two soon arrived at Ichiraku Ramen, both sitting down quietly.

After they ordered their food, Sakura glanced towards Sasuke with a small frown. "So...where have you been lately?" she asked after a small pause, trying to get a conversation going. "What have you been up to?"

Sasuke ate some of his ramen in silence before he looked back at Sakura, staring at her quietly as he thought of what to say. So much had happened in the last few years, he wasn't really sure where to begin.

"Well...Okay. I've been traveling. Mastering my new eye powers. Just...just mostly traveling," Sasuke responded finally with a slight shrug. Knowing that was barely an answer, Sasuke soon started talking again.

"Well, this one time, there was this village I stopped in. About...six months back, I believe. Six...no, it was seven months back. Anyways, I had planned to stay for only a few days. Rest up, gather supplies. That sort of thing. Well, on my third day, this man arrived in the village. Called himself 'Katsu'. I didn't pay much attention to him, at first. Around noon that day, though, Katsu approached me. He said he recognized the Uchiha symbol. Said it was the symbol of murderers and liars."

Sasuke paused for a moment, closing his eyes as he let out a soft sigh.

Sakura was silent for a moment before she asked, "And I take it that didn't go over well with you, did it?"

Sasuke looked over again with a small smile, shaking his head.

"Katsu claimed my clan was the reason his family was dead. Something about tricking Katsu's family years ago. I wasn't listening by then though, and just wanted to leave before I...well, before I lost my cool. We both know how bad that can be. I told him to drop it, and headed out not long after that. I noticed I was being followed, but decided it wasn't worth losing my cool over. But about 30 minutes later, Katsu jumped in front of me. Yelling at me, telling me I'd be paying for what my clan did to his family. This guy...He really wouldn't just drop it, you know? I told him to just shut his mouth and to go away. But, in the end, he wanted to fight me." At this, Sasuke chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Even knowing who I was, this man wanted to fight me."

"Well...what happened? Did you fight him?" Sakura asked.

 **Sasuke glared at Katsu, placing his hand on the hilt of his katana. "What do you want?" Sasuke questioned as calmly as he could. "I told you back in the village, leave me alone."**

Katsu glared back in silence for a moment. "You're clan ruined my family! You really think I'd just forget something like that?" he asked after a moment of silence. Pulling out a kunai in each hand, Katsu glared more. "And now I find an Uchiha. You really think I wouldn't try to take my revenge?"

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, his left eye had the Rinnesharingan and his right eye had his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

"Last chance to leave," Sasuke said, starting to lose his cool. Katsu of course refused to leave, gripping his kunais tightly as he rushed at the Uchiha.

The fight didn't last long, and when it was over, Sasuke remained standing, Katsu laying on his back as he bled badly.

Sasuke stood over Katsu, glaring down at the man, a twisted smirk on his face as he pointed his bloody katana at him. Laughing a little, Sasuke said, "I told you not to fight me. I told you to just leave. But you just wouldn't listen, would you?"

Katsu coughed up blood as he looked up at Sasuke, pure terror in his eyes. "P...please, just...let me go," Katsu begged weakly.

Sasuke paused then, tilting his head a little as if thinking it over before he smirked again and shook his head. "I gave you a chance, Katsu. I told you to just drop it. But when do you do? Insult my family. Insult me. I warned you."

With that, Sasuke very slowly pierced Katsu's heart, slowly sinking the blade through him until it was stuck in the ground beneath the man.

Sasuke was silent for a moment. "I didn't fight him. Katsu left finally," he said in a calm tone before going back to eating his ramen. Sasuke couldn't tell Sakura the truth about his slip up, knowing it would only upset her. He had upset her enough already for one life. Sakura nodded a bit and for a while the two simply focused on their food, eating in silence.

Sasuke, surprising himself, was the first to break the silence.

"What about you? Any stories to share?"

"Well, you might not have heard since you've been busy, but I started a clinic for children. After the war, there were a lot of people that needed help, so...I've been a bit busy with that," Sakura admitted with a smile and a shrug. "You know, I'm still surprised you waited long enough for us to make you an arm before you left," Sakura added.

Sasuke glanced at his wrapped Zetsu arm and stared at it in silence for a moment before shrugging, frowning a little. "I didn't deserve this, but I knew you guys wouldn't stop bugging me, so I agreed to it," he admitted with a shrug. "You guys slowed my trip down a bit, but...Oh well. The arm has been pretty useful I must admit." Sasuke studied his arm for another few seconds before slowly looking over at Sakura.

"Ah...Sakura, I think I should be going home. Like I said, I'm feeling drained..." Sasuke said after a small hesitation. He saw Sakura frown as he stood and turned quickly.

"I'll see you tomorrow right?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke nodded once before he looked back at Sakura, giving the woman a weak smile. "Sure thing."

When Sasuke was away from Ichiraku's Ramen, he let out a long sigh and shook his head. "Sorry, Sakura...I'll be gone before you see me again." Even though Sasuke wanted to see Sakura, he still felt as if it would be best if he left first. He knew Sakura'd be pissed if she caught him, so the Uchiha decided he would leave the same night after packing new clothes from home. Go home, pack, and leave. That sounded easy enough for him.

When Sasuke arrived home, he quickly unlocked his door before letting himself in, shutting the door behind him. He leaned against the door as he thought of all he would need to pack. "Just change my clothes and grab some supplies," he decided with a nod, pushing off the door and heading to his room.

When Sasuke finished packing, he turned to leave but stopped when a photo caught his attention. Sasuke picked the photo up and smiled only slightly. The picture was taken after the war, a month after the war ended. The picture had Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura standing together. Naruto had his usual goofy grin, Sasuke had a calm look, and Sakura had a small smile. The three looked tired, but otherwise happy. Or as happy as they could be. Looking at the photo for a second longer, Sasuke began to put it down but instead slipped it into his bag to take with him on his journey. He wasn't really sure when he'd be coming home again.

When Sasuke was sure he had everything he needed, he left his house and locked it up once more, resting his head against the door. "Well, I guess it's time to leave again." With that, Sasuke left his house and began to walk, heading towards the village gates. As he walked, Sasuke kept telling himself it was for the best if he leaved before he could see Sakura again.

"If I stay too long...If I see her...I won't want to leave," Sasuke pointed out to himself in an angry whisper, clenching his fists as he walked. "What good could possibly come from me staying? It won't end well for anyone," he added with a small nod.

Sasuke was so busy scolding himself that he didn't even notice he was being watched until it was too late.

Almost at the gates, Sasuke froze when he heard a voice coming from behind him.

"This looks familiar, doesn't it?" Sakura asked softly. Sasuke closed his eyes and took a breath before letting it out.

"Why are you here, Sakura?" Sasuke finally asked, making himself sound more annoyed than he actually was.

Sakura stared at the Uchiha quietly with a small frown before she shook her head. "Why...?" she finally asked.

"Why what? What do you want?"

"Why do you always do this?!" Sakura finally snapped, starting to lose her calm, her anger rising quickly. "You're trying to leave! Why?! You said you would see me tomorrow!"

"No...No I didn't. All I said was 'sure thing'," Sasuke pointed out slowly, refusing to turn to the woman. He wanted to just end the argument as quickly as possible, but deep down he knew that this wouldn't be a simple chat. He knew it'd end in a screaming match.

"What?" Sakura asked slowly and in a quiet voice. "Are you serious? So you just lied right to my face, then!" she yelled at the Uchiha, clenching her fists.

"Get off my back, Sakura!" Sasuke finally snapped back. "What do you want from me? Hm? You expecting me to, what, stay in Konoha and spend my days with you? My journey isn't done yet, Sakura. I still have things I have to do. Things I want to know. If I stay in the village, I can't do that!" Turning to face Sakura, Sasuke glared at the woman and added, "You can't tell me where I can or can't go, so just leave it be!"

Stepping forward, Sakura grabbed Sasuke by the collar of his shirt and pulled him close, glaring back as she shouted, "Get off your back?! How about you stop being an asshole for once?! I care about you, Sasuke. Why can't you just stop running away?!"

"Running away? I'm busy! I don't have to stay here if I don't want to. We're adults now, Sakura, I can leave if I want to!"

Sasuke pushed her away then, but Sakura held on and brought him down with her. As soon as they hit the ground, Sakura shoved Sasuke away roughly and quickly got back on her feet, cracking her knuckles.

"Then bring me with you if you feel you have to leave! I'm not the same weak little girl I was when you left years ago, Sasuke. I can help you, if you take me!" Sakura watched as Sasuke got up as well, the Uchiha brushing himself off. The two stared at each other in silence for several seconds, Sasuke seeming as if he was thinking over what Sakura said.

But finally, Sasuke shook his head.

"No. I'm not going to bring you, Sakura. It just wouldn't end well, okay? You don't want to go with me. I could be gone for months, or even years at a time. I'm not going to drag you around like that. It's better if you just stay here. Okay?"

The next thing Sasuke knew, he was getting punched in the face by Sakura. Having not expected it, Sasuke wasn't able to react in time, and so fell back from how hard he was hit. Sitting up, Sasuke wiped blood away from his mouth while looking at Sakura in a stunned silence. He never expected Sakura would actually hit him, and for a few seconds was oddly happy to have her react for once. Rubbing his jaw slowly, Sasuke remained where he was as he studied Sakura before finally getting back up on his feet. Though Sakura was clearly angry, Sasuke, judging by the fact that he wasn't knocked out by the punch, could tell she was still holding back. Wiping his mouth one more time, Sasuke activated his Sharingan and shook his head.

"I'm not taking you. That's my final answer," he finally repeated.

This time when Sakura swung at him, he ducked out of the way and grabbed her by the ankle, flipping Sakura onto her back before stepping back, placing his hand on his katana. Sakura was quick to recover however and was back on her feet in the blink of an eye, glaring at the Uchiha once more.

"You aren't leaving without me, Sasuke. I'm not going to just let you walk away and leave again. I won't use my full strength, but I'm otherwise not going to let you leave. You said you were tired, right? Only your normal Sharingan is on."

Sasuke let out an annoyed sighed before he placed a hand on the hilt of his katana, glaring at Sakura. "Sakura, just drop it and walk away alright? Tired or not, I can still knock you on your-"

"I'm not as weak as you keep thinking, you jerk!" Sakura interrupted and rushed forward, punching at Sasuke's face. Sasuke quickly hopped back, but Sakura kept following him, the pink haired woman attacking quickly. Sasuke dodged each hit as best as he could but eventually Sakura landed a hit on his jaw, knocking him down once more. Sasuke dragged her down with him and flipped her over him, knocking her away from him before he got back on his feet. The Uchiha quickly ran over to Sakura and pinned her down, holding her arms above her head.

"Sakura, just stop. You know there's no point in fighting. It didn't work with Naruto for the longest time, what makes you think that YOU can beat me into listening?" Sasuke asked quickly and quietly, leaning close to Sakura. Sakura glared up at Sasuke, but slowly smirked.

"Sorry, Sasuke. Maybe you're right..." she began before suddenly headbutting Sasuke in the face roughly, the Uchiha grunting as he was knocked off Sakura, his nose bleeding. Sakura quickly pinned Sasuke down, easily holding him with her strength. "Now listen, damn it! Why do you always try to run away?! You know I love you, Sasuke! Naruto and Kakashi-sensei love you too! People miss you! So why are you trying so hard to run away again?!"

Sasuke stared in silence up at Sakura, his Sharingan spinning slowly as he watched her for several seconds before he finally spoke.

"I don't want you coming with me, because you'd end up hating me, Sakura!" Sasuke yelled at her, his Sharingan spinning faster. "I'm not going to take you, Sakura, and that's my final answe-"

Before Sasuke could finish his words, Sakura suddenly punched him in the face again, busting his lip. Nose and mouth bleeding, Sasuke began getting angry once again. Looking up into Sakura's eyes, his Sharingan began to glow in the night, and Sakura suddenly froze, a blank look on her face before she slowly got off Sasuke and stood up. Sasuke stood up as well then, and stepped away from Sakura before she returned to her normal self.

"Did you just fucking brainwash me?!" Sakura screamed when she had control of herself again. Sasuke could see the anger in Sakura's eyes when she turned to him and knew right away the fight was going to just get worse.

"You wouldn't back off, so yes, I used my Sharingan on you, Sakura."

Finally, Sasuke's Rinnesharingan slowly turned back on in his left eye, the Uchiha letting out a soft sigh as he looked at Sakura, shaking his head.

"Look, Sakura, just leave, alright? I don't want to hurt you anymore."

"Then don't leave! It's that simple! You don't want to hurt me?! Then don't leave without me, Sasuke. You keep saying you don't want to hurt me, yet in the same breath say you still won't take me with you. Why? You said I'd hate you? For what?!" As she spoke, Sakura clenched her fists, angry yet wanting to give Sasuke one more chance.

Sasuke stared at Sakura, a frown slowly coming to his face as he thought over what he wanted to say. Finally, Sasuke sighed softly and turned away from the Haruno woman, shaking his head.

"I'm not exactly a saint, Sakura. I don't want you seeing...Well, if I lose control, I don't want you to see what happens," the Uchiha finally said, looking down, his tone slightly annoyed. Sakura watched Sasuke, surprised by his answer. Sasuke still struggled with his darkness?

Shaking her head, Sakura said, "Sasuke, I don't care. I can help you, okay? I promise, I can help you stay in control if that's what you're worried about. Sasuke...You know I wouldn't judge you. I promise..."

Turning back to Sakura, Sasuke frowned a little more before taking a deep breath. "I can't, Sakura...I...No. I won't let you see that. I've already disappointed you more than enough for one life. I don't want to fuck up anymore. So...no, Sakura. I'm sorry, I can't take you with me."

As soon as Sasuke refused once again, Sakura was in front of him again, slamming her fist into Sasuke's stomach. Sasuke coughed up blood, surprised that Sakura still wanted to fight, but quickly calmed down and gripped Sakura's wrist roughly and sent a small shock of lightning nature chakra into her arm, shocking her hard enough to make her move back, but not hard enough to do lasting damage. Sakura held her arm as she stumbled back but shook her head and glared. "So you're finally going to take me serious?" she asked.

Sasuke nodded once. "I know you won't just back off, Sakura. So you give me no other choice. I'll fight you if that's what it takes." Shaking her arm, Sakura nodded a little.

Running at each other, Sasuke ducked under a punch and spun around Sakura, roughly kicking her in the back to knock her away before he pulled his katana out and stabbed it into the ground. From his katana, a stream of electricity rushed at Sakura. Seeing the Chidori, Sakura quickly jumped up and out of the way. Sakura tried slamming her fist down on Sasuke but the Uchiha dodged, Sakura causing the road to crack. Sasuke rushed up and grabbed his katana as he ran by Sakura, heading outside of the village.

"Get back here!" Sakura yelled as she ran after Sasuke. When the two were finally out of the village, Sasuke turned to face Sakura.

"You're the one who lives in Konoha. I don't think they'd be too happy if you destroy the village trying to attack me," Sasuke pointed out, his Mangekyou flashing on in his right eye. "So I took us out of the village. More room to fight." Sakura looked around for a moment then glanced back at Sasuke, nodding slightly. "Unless you want to stop this pointless fight?" Sasuke added. With no response, he just scoffed. "Yeah...Yeah, I kinda thought you would react like that."

Despite his words, Sasuke simply stood and stared at Sakura, his Sharingnan studying her face quickly, the Uchiha slowly frowning. Why was he being so damn stubborn? He WANTED Sakura to go, but at the same time he was...scared? If she went with him, Sasuke wasn't sure she'd always be safe with him. The thought of Sakura getting hurt, or worse dying, gave Sasuke a pained feeling in his chest. Why couldn't he just admit he cared? Shaking his head, the Uchiha took a step closer to Sakura before pausing again. Sasuke stared once more before he kept walking up to Sakura, slowly, the Haruno woman staring, unsure of what Sasuke was doing. Sakura watched as Sasuke's Sharingans slowly faded from his eyes. Stepping up to Sakura, Sasuke stood silently for several seconds before he slowly poked her forehead, keeping his fingers on her as he spoke.

"Okay, Sakura. You win. I...will allow...you to go with me," Sasuke finally said, deciding to shut out his voice of doubt in his mind. "Tomorrow, we'll have your last day here. Then the morning after, we'll head out," the Uchiha added softly and gave Sakura a small, tired smile. Sakura simply stared, surprised by Sasuke's sudden change of attitude, but slowly nodded.

After getting over her confusion, Sakura blinked and then smiled nervously. "Sasuke, uh...Your face is pretty bloody. Let me help you."

Sasuke paused, tasting the blood and nodded with a small chuckle. "It seems you hit pretty hard when in a bad mood," he commented and wiped some of the blood away. "Here, you can come over if you want," he added and began walking.

When the two returned to Sasuke's house, Sasuke set his bag down and went to the kitchen, splashing the blood off his face. When he turned around, Sakura was there. "Hm...?" Sasuke asked.

"I can heal that real quick," Sakura replied and placed a hand over his lip and nose, her hand glowing green for only seconds before Sasuke's wounds were gone. Sasuke rubbed his jaw a bit then nodded, offering a small smile.

"Is your arm okay?" the Uchiha asked after a moment of silence. Sakura glanced at it then back at Sasuke, nodding.

"Sasuke, why'd you change your mind so suddenly?" Sakura finally asked, getting to the topic that had been on her mind the entire walk home after their small fight. Sasuke had gone from flat-out refusing, then suddenly he had agreed. Sakura of course wasn't complaining, but she sure was curious about the Uchiha's logic. Sasuke leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms, frowning as he watched Sakura.

"Sakura...You do matter to me. You and Naruto, you guys...You did save me from going down a very dark path. And...well, the reason I refused in the first place was...I was afraid, I guess. You love me, you said." This just got a confused look from Sakura so Sasuke continued. "Sakura, everyone that's loved me is dead. I was worried that you might not be safe on our trip, I guess. I was worried...Well, that you wouldn't be safe, or I'd hurt you somehow. So I refused. But...I don't know. I do care about you though, Sakura. So I decided to stop fighting and just let you go with me." Sakura nodded once and offered a small smile.

"Sasuke, I promise I won't get hurt or anything. You won't regret agreeing to take me, when you leave," Sakura promised then laughed softly. "Anyways, if tomorrow is my last day here, it'll be a pretty busy day. So...we should get some sleep. Goodnight, Sasuke. I love you." Sakura gave Sasuke a tight hug before she walked away, leaving the Uchiha alone in the kitchen.

"Goodnight, Sakura."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry it took so long! Here is chapter 3.**

* * *

When Sasuke woke up in the morning, he let out a soft groan and quickly placed a hand to the side of his head. Sakura sure hits hard, he thought to himself before sighing and lowering his hand, shaking his head. "At least the fight didn't get out of hand," he added out loud. Getting out of bed, Sasuke grabbed fresh clothes and left his room, heading down the hallway to the bathroom. After grabbing a towel, Sasuke stepped into the bathroom and shut the door, setting his clothes and towel on the counter. "A hot shower...Haven't had warm water in...weeks?" Smiling lightly, Sasuke removed his shirt, dropping it before he paused, his gaze landing on his fake arm. Sasuke slowly glared at the snow-white 'flesh', his Sharingan slowly spinning into his eyes. Seeing the arm, like it did at times, annoyed Sasuke. He saw it as a reminder of the monster he had been. Was currently? Frowning, Sasuke shook the thoughts away and removed the rest of his clothes before turning the shower on, setting the water to hot before stepping in. Sasuke let out a breath as the water instantly began to relax his sore body, the Uchiha resting his forehead against the wall as the water sprayed down onto his back. "Today is going to be a...very...long day," he murmured to himself. "It'll be Sakura's last day in Konoha for...I don't know how long. I'm sure she'll need to take care of some hospital business, let them know she's leaving. And I'm sure she'd want to say goodbye to her parents..." Humming in thought for several seconds, Sasuke thought over what else would need to be done before the two set out on their journey. "Kakashi...I can leave whenever, as I'm not technically a Konoha ninja anymore, but Sakura will need permission. So we need to visit him...Hm, and I have to see Naruto before we leave."

When the Uchiha snapped himself back to attention, breaking away from the thoughts of the day ahead of him, he shut off the shower and ran a hand through his hair, letting out a small sigh. It felt good to have an actual shower, the Uchiha used to simply rinsing off in hot springs or rivers during his travels. Drying himself off quickly, the Uchiha began pulling on his boxers when he heard Sakura calling from the other room, "Sasuke, I made breakfast if you're hungry. I hope you don't mind!" Sasuke paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. Nobody had cooked him breakfast since before his clan was slaughtered, so he wasn't quite sure how to respond. Though, the Uchiha finally cleared his throat as he pulled his pants on.

"I'll be out in a minute, Sakura," Sasuke called back.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Sasuke wore a longsleeved black shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back with matching black pants, the usual outfit for an Uchiha. Sasuke supposed it was something from his past that he didn't feel the need to give up, or the man simply didn't care to waste time picking out various outfits. Either way, when Sasuke was done pulling his shirt on, he headed out towards the kitchen to the smell of cooked food and the sight of Sakura sitting at the table. The woman glanced up when Sasuke entered and offered a smile, seeming almost amused as she tapped the right side of her face. "You, uh...Got a nice bruise going," she finally commented with an almost proud grin. Taking a seat, Sasuke felt the bruise and let out a soft sigh at the soreness, though he didn't seem bothered by it at all. If anything, he was a little happy though he wouldn't openly admit it. Sakura had bruised him, something not many people could do with how strong and fast the man was. Although, Sasuke mused, he didn't want to actually hurt Sakura, so that might have been why. Still, though, the fact that the woman hadn't hesitated to knock some since into him was a little nice.

"Yeah, well, you hit pretty hard," Sasuke replied as he relaxed into his seat, offering her the smallest of smiles. "Anyways, you said you cooked? With what food? I haven't exactly been here recently. Any food I had would have been bad by now," he added, glancing at the plate in front of him with an unsure look.

"Yeah, I...kinda noticed that. Sheesh, you really should throw things out more often, you know. You knew you would be gone and all. Anyways, while you were showering, I went out and bought some things," Sakura explained as she set a cup in front of the raven haired man. "You look tired, so here, some coffee."

Sasuke mumbled a thanks as he sipped the coffee, the man staring at Sakura with a strange look in his eyes. When Sasuke wouldn't look away, Sakura frowned a bit. "What? Is there something on my face?" the Haruno questioned, placing a hand on one cheek. Sasuke lowered his coffee and stared for several more seconds before slowly shaking his head, setting the cup down.

"No. It's not that. I'm just wondering...are you SURE you want to go? I don't really know when we'll be stopping back here again, so you could be gone for quite some time," Sasuke finally explained. "I don't want you to end up regretting your choice, Sakura. So are you absolutely sure of this?"

Instead of replying right away, Sakura placed her hand on his bruised cheek and began to heal him. When she began to use her chakra to heal, however, Sasuke's vision blurred before suddenly everything went black. Slowly, Sasuke saw a woman appear before him, the woman's hand glowing as if she were healing someone. As quickly as the vision came it ended, and when Sasuke's focus returned he saw Sakura giving him a confused look, the woman's hand still on his cheek though she was done healing him.

"Sasuke? Did you hear me?" Sakura repeated softly and Sasuke frowned a bit, pulling away from her touch as he looked around.

"Did you see her?" the Uchiha questioned.

"Uh...Sasuke, we're the only ones here. What are you talking about?"

"I just...There was a woman just a second ago. Long black hair, down to her feet. Black and red robes...it had the same symbols as the Sage we met during the war," Sasuke said slowly. Sakura frowned and slowly shook her head.

"Sasuke, you zoned out for only a second. There was nobody here but us. Maybe you should go back to sleep..."

"No, I'm...I'm fine. Anyways...What were you saying? Are you sure you wish to go with me?"

Sakura stared at the man before her, frowning as she studied him with worry in her emerald orbs. She wanted to say more about his sudden vision, but didn't want to bother him. Instead, Sakura nodded a bit and gave him a soft smile.

"Sasuke...You know how I feel. I have loved you for as long as I can remember. I told you, I want to go with you, no matter where the journey takes us. I don't want you to be alone anymore, okay?"

Her words made Sasuke pause, getting an odd feeling in his chest. Though he wasn't the best with these situations, Sakura's words did make him feel happy. Wanting to show that he did care, in the best way he could, the Uchiha reached forward and tapped his index and middle fingers against her forehead, offering a soft smile. "Thank you," he murmured. The two held that position for several seconds, Sakura's cheeks turning a pink shade, until Sasuke was the first to break the silence. Lowering his hand, Sasuke finished his coffee before clearing his throat. "Today is your last day in Konoha, then. I...will try to make it a good day, for you," Sasuke promised as he stood, Sakura joining him seconds later. "We should head to the hospital first so you can take care of things there, let them know you won't be back for a while." As Sasuke spoke, he made a single handsign, a clone appearing next to him. Sakura stared at the clone, tilting her head a little bit before she glanced back at Sasuke.

"What's the clone for?"

"Hm...Don't worry. The clone is going to be taking care of something for me when we're out today. Just something I need to do."

As the clone walked off, Sasuke looked at Sakura and then nodded towards the door. "We'll head to the hospital now, if you are ready," Sasuke hummed and after Sakura nodded, he turned and began to walk, the woman staying by his side.

"This...won't bother you, will it? I mean, people seeing me leaving your house with you, they might get curious about us," Sakura asked as the two stepped out of Sasuke's house. At her comment, Sasuke paused then looked at Sakura and seemed amused.

"You can just tell them we're dating, if you want. I mean...You said you love me. And...I'm not...good with this sort of stuff, but I do care about you, Sakura. So...let people comment all they want, I suppose," was the answer the Uchiha gave the smiling woman before he looked forward. "Besides, that's part of why we need to go see your parents, right? I'm sure that'll be something they'll be...vocal about. I have a feeling your mother won't be very happy about...us." Sasuke glanced at Sakura again, studying the woman with his Sharingan eyes. It felt nice to admit that he cared and even felt good having her by his side. Perhaps their journey together wouldn't be so bad, Sasuke thought with a soft sigh.

As the two walked from the Uchiha Compound heading towards the hospital, Sakura stayed close by Sakura's side, the two getting looks as they walked together. Some whispered questions to each other, and others just seemed confused to see the last Uchiha with the Haruno woman. Sasuke didn't quite like the stares, but he kept quieit about it and as they got closer to the hospital, Sasuke cleared his throat and glanced down at Sakura. "Sakura, what all do you need to do at the hospital?"

"Huh? Oh, I'll likely need to ask Ino to take charge for me while I'm gone. She's gotten good enough since the end of the war that I'd feel fine leaving her in charge while we're away. But...Also...Sasuke, please don't get upset, but...I want to do a mental evaluation."

At her words, the Uchiha stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the woman. His Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan and Rinnesharingan flashed into his eyes out of annoyance, the man glaring a little. She wanted to get inside his head? Was this some sort of therapy? Shaking his head, the Uchiha crossed his arms, a cold look coming to his eyes. "You want to give me therapy? That's just a waste of our time, Sakura. There's no need for that, I've been just fine so," the irratated Uchiha spat out, making Sakura's smile fade a little.

"Sasuke-kun...you shouted in your sleep last night," Sakura said in a gentle tone, trying to soothe his anger quickly before things got out of hand. At her words, the Uchiha's angry look faded slowly and was replaced with a small frown, the man slowly lowering his arms.

"Sakura...I'll see about it, but I'm not making you any promises. If I don't like it, I'm quitting, got it? I quit, and we leave the hospital right away, okay?" Sasuke finally replied in a harsh whisper. While it wasn't exactly the answer Sakura had been hoping for, she figured she'd have to settle for it. At least it was a start, she reasoned. She just wanted to be able to finally help Sasuke. Giving a weak smile, the pink haired woman nodded. Sasuke's anger mellowed even more and after seeing Sakura's hurt expression, the Uchiha whispered, "I'm...sorry, that I snapped at you, Sakura." Hearing him apologize, a rare thing for the Uchiha, Sakura's mood lifted once more and she gave a more genuine smile before she nodded and began walking once more, the Uchiha soon joining by her side. "Hey...maybe it won't be so bad, right...?" Sasuke asked.

15 minutes. That's all it took at the hospital before the therapist Sakura tried getting Sasuke to see came out of the room. Sasuke could be heard in the background shouting, "You can fuck off with your mindgames!" The therapist, a woman named Yumi, looked at Sakura as she adjusted her glasses.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Haruno, but I'm not...I'm not going back in there," Yumi whispered before quickly walking away. Sakura stared at the door in silence for a moment before she slowly pushed it open and stepped in, shutting the door behind her.

"If you're back for more, you can fuck o-" Sasuke began but cut off when he saw who had entered. Frowning, he shook his head and stood up. "I'm not doing this. I'm sorry, but this is a waste of our time, Sakura!" Sasuke shouted. Sakura could tell the man was clearly upset and not just angry. What had Yumi tried getting him to talk about? Frowning, Sakura stepped forward slowly and gently placed a hand on Sasuke's cheek.

"Shh, Sasuke. Look, if I promise to do this, will you agree to a mental evaluation? I swear on my life I won't tell anyone what I find out." Sasuke stared at the woman in silence for several seconds before he slowly sat back down and looked away. Though he hadn't verbally agreed, Sasuke's actions gave Sakura the answer she needed.

When Sakura was finally done, she sat across from Sasuke and frowned a little. "Well...? How bad am I?" Sasuke finally asked her, breaking the tense silence.

Taking a breath, Sakura shook her head a bit before sighing.

"Well...You seem to be an antisocial sociopath with post traumatic stress disorder and a bit of a sadistic streak. You also seem to have suffered multiple psychotic breaks since the time of your clan's massacre and seem to not understand the concept of compassion while consistently displaying homcidal tendencies, not unlike a psychopath. However, you do have quite a bit of activity in your frontal and temperal lobes. You also seem to care quite a bit about certain people...So it isn't that you can't. Your mental illnesses are entirely situational and surprisingly there is hope in that," Sakura explained in a calming, gentle voice, not wanting to upset the Uchiha. Sasuke sat in silence as she explained and after several quiet minutes Sasuke looked at Sakura and forced a smile.

"You helped me once, you can help me again right? After all...You saved me from darkness. I...Trust you," Sasuke whispered softly before going silent again. Sakura smiled weakly and stood up, Sasuke joining her with only a small hesitation.

"We need to go see Ino now, alright?" Sakura asked gently. Sasuke nodded and tapped her forehead gently, chuckling softly.

"Relax, Sakura...You don't need to seem so worried. I'm fine, you know...Anyways, let's go see Ino so we can leave here. We'll see Kakashi next, since you need permission from him to leave the village."

Sakura nodded and pulled out her phone, the medical ninja quickly calling her longtime friend.

"Hey, Forehead, what's up?" Ino greeted when she picked up. Sasuke couldn't tell what was said, but by the way Sakura's eye twitched he figured Ino was just being...well, Ino.

"Piggy, we need to talk in person. It's, well, pretty damn important. Could you meet us in room 208?"

"...'Us'? Who's 'us'? Who's with you?"

"Ino, we're kiiiinda busy, so can you please just come up? I promise to explain when you get here."

"Fine, fine, sheesh. I'll be up in a few minutes."

With the call done, Sakura put her phone away and looked back at Sasuke, the Uchiha offering a smile. "She'll be here soon."

When Ino arrived, she let herself in and greeted Sakura with "Hey Forehead, what's so important you had to..." Trailing off when she saw Sasuke, Ino blinked a bit before glancing back at Sakura. "Alright, why are the two of you together?"

Sasuke stepped forward and moved himself behind Sakura, hesitating before he hugged her. It was a little weird for him but he pushed the feelings away and looked at Ino.

"Hm, hello Ino. Sakura and I are going to be leaving the village together. Well, it was SUPPOSED to be just me..." Sasuke paused to hug a little more. "But, Sakura beat me into letting her go with me." Ino stared after Sasuke explained, feeling confused as hell. Not only did the Uchiha just show up after being gone for so long, but suddenly he was taking Sakura with him when he left again? Not only that, but he was...hugging her? Ino glanced at Sakura for her to explain things.

"Well...Sasuke's telling the truth. He got home last night and I saw him. He told me he was leaving again after he got rest, so I told him I was going with him. He refused...at first. But after I kicked his ass- I mean, after we fought," Sakura paused to grin up at Sasuke, "he agreed to take me. Today is my last day in Konoha for...Not sure how long. So today we are taking care of a few things before we head out. Which brings me to my point..."

Sakura gently pulled away from Sasuke, though with great hesitation. She enjoyed his embrace, but needed to focus on Ino. Sasuke simply stood and waited calmly, the Uchiha resting his hands in his pockets as he waited. Sakura looked at Ino and grinned a bit, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Ino, while I'm away, I'm trusting you to take care of things here. Can you do that for me, Piggy?"

Ino just stared at her friend as if she grew a third head. Ino was being put in charge of the hospital?

"I...What? Why me?" Ino finally asked.

"Come on, Ino. You are my best friend. You're skilled, too. I trust you with this, alright? That's why. So can you do me this huge favor? I promise I'll pay you back!"

Ino remained silent as she thought things over. On one hand, the new job would change up her boring, sometimes slow days. Things after the war had been hectic, with so many people needing to be healed and helped. But now, two years later, things were finally starting to slow down and relax once more. Ino hummed a bit as she thought over what to do, but eventually she smiled and nodded at Sakura.

"Okay, Forehead. I promise I'll do a great job."

Sakura grinned back at Sasuke before smiling at Ino, hugging her friend before she pulled back to tell Sasuke, "So, you wanted to get out of here right? We can now, if you want." Sasuke, of course, simply nodded and followed Sakura out of the room. But as they left, Ino decided to tease Sakura one last time.

"Do you think you'll need to go on the pill for your trip?" Ino called out.

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks, hand still on the doorknob, her face slowly going blood red. Sasuke simply stood there, not really paying Ino any mind. To Sasuke, it seemed like a weird question to ask. But Sakura seemed embarrassed.

"INO PIG, YOU IDIOT!"

It took Sasuke several minutes to calm Sakura down enough, but finally she agreed to leave the hospital and stop yelling at Ino. When they were outside once more, Sakura grumbled a bit before sighing, hugging Sasuke's arm. Sasuke tensed at first but relaxed quickly and offered a smile.

"Sorry about that..." Sakura mumbled. "Anyways, do you want to go see Kakashi-sensei now? Or do you want to check in on your clone?"

Sasuke simply tapped under his Rinnesharingan eye. "I don't need to check on it. It's going fine, it seems. So let's go to Kakashi, then we can visit either Naruto or your parents." Sasuke briefly wished they could put off visiting her parents for as long as they could. Though Sasuke had played a big part in ending the war, there were still people who didn't quite like him still. After all, he had been a rogue ninja who wanted to slaughter the village. He could see why that might be an issue with some. Still, in his defense, he DID end up helping save the world. Sure, afterwards he tried to kill Naruto...again. Sasuke hummed a bit at the thought before shaking the thoughts away. He'd just have to deal with those issues when the time came.

"We'll see Kakashi first then Naruto, okay?" Sakura offered, knowing Sasuke wanted to avoid her parents for as long as possible. Sakura knew her mom didn't exactly like the Uchiha, thinking of him as a traitor to the village. Her dad, though, didn't seem to hold much of a grudge on Sasuke, so Sakura had hope that the meeting with her parents would go smoothly. Right, and she was the queen of Konoha.

As the two walked towards the Hokage Mansion, they suddenly stopped when they heard someone shout, "Hey, Sakura-chan! Sasuke? Long time, no see!" When the two turned around, they saw Uzumaki Naruto running up to them. When the hyper blonde made it to them, he grinned and placed his hands on the back of his head, happy to see his friends and team mates.

"Hey, Sasuke, did you just get back or something? What are you guys up to?" Naruto questioned as he lowered his arms. Sasuke let out a soft sigh before he started to explain the situation to Naruto, feeling a little tired already about having to explain himself. Naruto paused by the end of the Uchiha's story, glancing over at Sakura. "So you're going with Sasuke, huh? I'm a little surprised, honestly...I didn't think Grouchy would actually take you."

Sasuke raised a brow and looked at Sakura.

"U...uh, I mean, I kinda mentioned I'd make you take me next time you came back," Sakura quickly explained.

"Ah, I see," came Sasuke's calm reply.

Sasuke looked at Naruto then and placed a hand in his pocket, the Uchiha getting a serious look on his face as he spoke to his friend.

"Naruto, I actually wanted to see you before we left. We were on our way to Kakashi, but...I suppose you have good timing. Listen...During my travels, I came across a scroll. It had the symbol of your clan, the Uzumaki symbol. I kept it with me because...Well, I wanted to get you something. After all...you did save me from the path I had been going down. I know you did it because you saw me as your friend. I get that. I see you like a brother, Naruto, and so when I saw that scroll I thought 'Hey, he deserves this.' You know? It belongs to you, as one of the last know Uzumakis. And so..." Sasuke paused then, and suddenly a popping sound could be heard as he summoned the scroll to his pocket. Pulling it out, Sasuke held his hand out, holding a thick scroll. The scroll was red with golden edges, the Uzumaki seal stamped in gold in the middle. "I didn't open the scroll, I promise, as it belongs to YOU. I want you to have this, Naruto." Naruto stared in stunned silence at the scroll before he gently took it, holding it carefully. He wiped a few tears away and nodded a bit at Sasuke.

"Thank you, Sasuke. This means a lot," Naruto replied. Clearing his throat, Naruto put the scroll away and changed the subject, not the best at talking. "Anyways, just cuz you gave me this doesn't mean I'll get off your back about taking Sakura! You better not hurt her, Sasuke!" Naruto quickly warned. Though Naruto had once had feelings for Sakura, the two had grown close after the war and now Naruto saw her more like a sibling and thus had become a little protective of her.

With a dead serious tone, Sasuke replied "I swear on the honor of my clan, I will never hurt Sakura ever again and I will make sure she doesn't regret caring about me." Such a serious promise coming from the Uchiha made Naruto and Sakura stare at him, surprised by his words. After all the pain Sasuke had put Sakura through already in her life, he didn't want to cause her pain any longer. The members of Team Seven were silent after Sasuke's promise, not sure how to continue to conversation, but soon Sasuke said, "Naruto, take care, okay? After all, Konoha needs you now, with you being the hero." Naruto grinned then and nodded quickly.

"You take care, too, Sasuke. Come visit sometimes, okay? You and Sakura-chan are always welcome, you know!" Naruto gave Sakura a hug before he laughed and added, "Come visit soon, okay?" Sasuke was silent for a moment before nodding a little.

"I'll...try, but...this place...It's still a little hard being here, you know. But I will visit. Goodbye, Naruto."

When Naruto left Sasuke and Sakura, Sasuke let out a soft sigh and turned his attention to Sakura. "I meant what I said, Sakura. I promise I will never let you down again. I swear on my life." Sakura stared at the man before hugging him tightly, hiding her face against his chest.

"I know, Sasuke. I believe you," Sakura whispered softly. When she pulled away, she had to wipe away a few tears from her eyes before she smiled warmly. "Let's go see Kakashi-sensei, alright?"

When Sasuke and Sakura arived at the Hokage mansion, they were greeted by an ANBU member wearing a dog mask. "Are you two here to see Lord Sixth?" the woman asked them politely. Sasuke stepped forward and spoke for them, offering a polite smile as he nodded.

"We're here to get permission for Sakura Haruno to leave Konoha. We'd like to see Kakashi about that, if you don't mind."

"I'm sorry, but Lord Sixth is very busy today, but if you come back tomo-" The ANBU woman was cut off when the door to Kakashi's office opened, the man standing there as he looked at his two students.

"You can let them in, it's fine. If Sasuke's here, it must be important to him," Kakashi told the ANBU guard who nodded and flickered away, leaving the members of Team Seven standing there. Sasuke and Sakura stepped into Kakashi's office when he motioned them to, the older man taking a seat behind his desk, Sasuke and Sakura sitting in front.

"So, what can I do for you?" Kakashi questioned, glancing between his two students slowly.

"I want to take Sakura with me when I leave tomorrow, so we're here to get your permission. Seeing as how she'd be named a rogue ninja if she just up and left without saying anything to you," Sasuke explained in a calm voice, resting his elbow on his chair, placing his hand against his cheek as he relaxed. He expected Kakashi to agree, but his reaction wasn't what he had hoped for.

"I'm sorry, I can't simply allow Sakura to leave. For one thing, she'd be needed at the hospital. Not only that, but she's a powerful ninja and we might need her for missions. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to say no."

Sasuke stared in silence, a look of anger coming to his eyes as he slowly glared at the Hatake. Sasuke wasn't exactly in the mood to waste time, so he glanced first at Sakura then Kakashi.

"Sakura has already put Ino in charge of the hospital. That's already taken care of," Sasuke began, voice laced with anger. "Ino is skilled enough, it sounds like, so she can handle that. And I'm more than aware of the fact that Sakura is strong. After all, we fought just last night. So I know. So why don't we stop wasting each other's time and you just tell me what it'll take? I'm taking Sakura with me, one way or another." Sakura sat in silence by the Uchiha, shrinking into her chair a little as he yelled at their former sensei. She took a quick glance at Kakashi, who went from a relaxed look in his eye to a more serious one.

"Fine, I have a few conditions if you want to take Sakura." Reaching into his desk drawer, Kakashi pulled a Konoha headband and set it on the desk, the cloth black, the metal shining in the light. "First of, I don't care if you aren't technically part of this village. Travelling with Sakura, you'd represent Konoha. So you WILL wear this whenever you enter another village, understand? I don't care if you use it as a back scratcher in your free time, but when in another village you will wear this. Understood?"

"Hn, fine, whatever. What else?"

"Second, to let Sakura leave for so long, I'm going to make it a mission." Once again Kakashi reached into his desk and soon set two books on the desk. "You will be taking these Bingo Books. As you travel, I'd like you to work on this."

At that, Sasuke narrowed his eyes once more. "And why would I want to do that?"

"Let's be honest, Sasuke. Your reputation isn't exactly the best. To convince the council, I'll need you to work on that. The more you work on the book, the better you look. The better you look, the better Konoha looks. Here, I'll make you a deal. If you can improve how people see you, I'll have the council start work on fully repairing the Uchiha Compound. Okay...?" At his offer, Sasuke's glare slowly faded into a look of surprise. While his own house may have been fine, most of the compound was still damaged. Glancing at the Bingo Books and headband, Sasuke slowly grabbed them and put them away for later use, giving Kakashi a simple nod.

"Thank you," Sasuke finally murmured. Kakashi nodded gently, knowing how important it was to Sasuke to restore the Uchiha Compound.

"As it stands now, not enough people would be behind fixing the place. But if they thought you were with us, they'd change their minds in no time. I promise, Sasuke, I'll do my best to get construction started as soon as possible," Kakashi replied but then sat forward in his chair, his tone becoming serious once more. "My final condition. I know I may not be as strong as you, Sasuke. But I swear to you, if I hear you hurt Sakura, I will hunt you like a dog. Sakura is my student and is important to me. I'm putting a lot of faith in you, Sasuke. Please don't make me regret it."

With that, Kakashi sat back in his chair and hummed before he sat forward and placed a passport on the table in front of Sakura. "This will clear you to leave, Sakura," Kakashi explained. Sakura nodded and put it away. "I'm very proud of all of you, you know," Kakashi added suddenly. "Including you, Sasuke."

Sasuke froze and looked at Kakashi in silence, confusing and surprise in his eyes.

"Sasuke, you had the chance to destroy us. You hated Konoha for what it did to you, but in the end, you chose to come home. You may not live here most of the time, and you might be gone for long periods of time, but you still came home, in your own way," Kakashi explained before he smirked behind his mask. "I have one last condition you must do if you want to be allowed to take Sakura with you."

Five minutes later, Sasuke stood outside on the Hokage mansion with Sakura, Kakashi, and a camera man. "You have to be joking," Sasuke muttered as he stared at an amused Kakashi.

"Sorry, Sasuke. But if you want to take Sakura, you have to join us for one final photo before you go," Kakashi explained, Sakura giggling at the look on Sasuke's face. The Uchiha clenched his teeth but moved over to them. Sasuke and Sakura stood side by side, Kakashi standing behind them. When the photo was taken, Kakashi's visible eye was shut in amusement, Sakura was smiling happily and Sasuke scowled at the camera, his Mangekyou and Rinnesharingan still active in his eyes. These gave Sasuke a dark look, though the Uchiha wasn't as angry as he seemed. When the photo was taken and the camera man left, Sasuke turned to Kakashi and Sakura.

"Can I take her now?" Sasuke asked, arms folded. Kakashi gave a nod and a chuckle and Sakura moved over to Sasuke.

"Sure thing. But, I am busy today, so if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work. You two stay safe, got it? Sakura, I'll see you when you return."

When Kakashi was gone, Sasuke slowly glanced over at Sakura and let out a soft sigh before he gave a tiny, slightly tired smile. "Now we just have to go see your parents so you can say goodbye, then we should head home. We leave in the morning, after all. We'll want to get our rest tonight." Sakura nodded a bit and once more the two were off, heading towards Sakura's parents.

When they arrived, Sasuke stared at the door and sighed loudly. "It's not too late to just skip this part," Sasuke said under his breath to Sakura. Sakura rolled her eyes a bit and elbowed him in the stomach before knocking on the door.

"You fought an alien chakra goddess during the war yet you want to avoid meeting my parents this much?" Sakura shot back before the doorknob turned, Mebuki opening the door. The first thing Sakura's mother saw was Sasuke, and instantly she tried to attack him.

"You have a lot of nerve coming back to Konoha!" she shouted as she punched at Sasuke, the Uchiha simply dodging the attacks with a frown. "Traitor! Criminal! Rogue ninja!" Mebuki yelled, each word followed with a punch that Sasuke easily dodged. To Sasuke, almost no ninja stood a chance of hitting him, and so Sakura's mother definitely had no chance. Finally catching one of her punches with his Zetsu arm, Sasuke calmly stared at Mebuki.

"If you are done flailing around, your daughter is here to talk to you," Sasuke explained in a calm voice, the Uchiha almost amused by the Haruno woman's attempt at hitting him. Sakura sighed from behind them and ran a hand through her hair.

"Mom, sheesh, could you not attack my boyfriend?" Sakura questioned finally.

"BOYFRIEND?! YOU'RE DATING THIS BASTARD?!" Mebuki screamed back, Sasuke letting go to move to Sakura's side.

"Knock it off, mom! Would you just calm down and let me talk?!" Sakura snapped back, her eye twitching slightly from anger. Mebuki glared at Sasuke as she turned to face her daughter but finally nodded.

"Fine, but if he tries anything, I'll tell Lord Sixth," Mebuki warned.

The three went inside then, Sasuke and Sakura sitting next to each other on the couch in the living room while Mebuki sat in a chair nearby. There was an awkward silence, broken only when Sakura's father, Kizashi, came downstairs to see what all the screaming was about.

"Hey, it's my daughter. And Crazy Eyes!" Kizashi shouted and laughed when he saw Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke looked a little confused by the nickname, raising a brow. "Your eyes," Kizashi explained as he took a seat near his wife. Sasuke realized his Mangekyou and Rinnesharingan were still active in his eyes from his earlier outburst towards Sakura. Chuckling a bit, Sasuke slowly shut them off, his eyes slowly returning to their normal onyx color. "Now, what can we help you two with?" Kizashi asked politely, the man having his usual grin.

"This rogue bastard wanted Sakura to tell us something," Mebuki muttered under her breath, her comment making Sasuke take a deep breath to keep himself calm. If he reacted, it would only prove Mebuki's point. And so Sasuke chose to remain quiet, simply planning on letting Sakura do the talking for them.

"Mom, he's not a bastard," Sakura began slowly, having to take her own deep breath. "Anyways, mom, dad, I'm leaving the village with Sasuke tomorrow. I asked Sasuke if I could come with him on his travels, and he finally agreed," Sakura explained, quickly adding, "But we're also going to be working on a mission for Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura held up her copy of the Bingo Book to prove it before putting it away again. The look Mebuki gave Sasuke would make most people flinch from the rage in her eyes, but Sasuke simply stared back in a calm way.

"Sakura decided she wanted to leave with me. I didn't force her, and in fact I tried to refuse. But Sakura can...convince people, it would seem," Sasuke explained, tapping Sakura's hand once. "Very strong punches," he added.

Mebuki shook her hand and looked at Sakura. "Are you really going to go off with some rogue?" she asked quietly, seeming almost disappointed.

"Mom, Sasuke came back. I know he doesn't stay here often, but he's with the village!" Sakura defended.

"If he's with the village, why is he never here?!" Mebuki yelled back. It was then that Sasuke spoke once more, his tone almost emotionless.

"Would you want to stay in a place that has so many bad memories? My clan was murdered because the village feared them and didn't trust them, which ended up making them want to attack. Instead of trusting my clan in the first place, Konoha has always pushed us out of sight and tried giving us as little power as possible," Sasuke pointed out, staring directly at Mebuki. "Imagine being the last of your kind. Left all alone, feared for your blood, with nobody there for you. You would have ended up just as bad as I had. I openly admit I left the village to seek the power needed for my revenge. I willingly went to Orochimaru, an enemy of the village. I had planned on stopping after I killed Itachi, but then I learned the truth. And so I wanted to destroy this village, burn you all to nothing. I wanted you to know despair. I thought it wasn't fair how my clan was gone, yet all of you went on as if nothing had happened. I hated your smiles and happiness. I thought, how dare they laugh? My brother had to slaughter his clan, sparing only me, because of Konoha. So how could I not hate this place? There was nothing but reminders of the family I would never see again. But Naruto and Sakura stopped me from going down a path I could never return from. I know you don't like me, I get that. Most days I don't like myself either. But I care about your daughter and if she wants to go with me, then that's up to her. She's an adult, so the choice is fully up to her." Mebuki began to protest, but Sasuke shook his head and added, "And if I do mess up, you know Sakura can take care of herself. I'm done hurting her, so if I mess up, I won't fight back if she attacks me. I'll take whatever happens to me." Mebuki went silent at that, frowning a little before she looked at her daughter.

"You really want to do this?" Mebuki finally asked in a softer tone than she had been using. Her anger seemed to die down a little for the moment.

"Of course I want to do this. I've loved Sasuke for as long as I can remember. Now that I have a chance to go with him, I'm not passing it up," Sakura replied with no hesitation, gently hugging Sasuke. "Sasuke cares, mom. I know you might not believe it now, but Sasuke does care." With that, Sakura stood up with Sasuke. "I promise I'll be fine, mom. And it's not like I'm going to cut contact with you and dad. So just relax, okay? Besides, it's not like Sasuke is going to go bad again."

"How do you know, though...?" Mebuki asked quietly.

"Because Sakura will keep me human," Sasuke answered in a serious tone before he and Sakura walked away from her parents. When they made it to the door, Kizashi came up to them and put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder to get his attention.

"Hey, Crazy Eyes, don't let anything happen to my daughter, alright? I don't know where your travels will take you, but...I don't want anything to happen to my kid." Sasuke glanced back for just a second before looking forward again, nodding.

"Sakura will be fine."

With that, the Uchiha and the Haruno left the house, the two staying close as they began to finally head back to Sasuke's house after the long day they had already had. As they walked, Sasuke's mood seemed to improve the closer to his house they got. Sakura noticed this and raise an eyebrow, wondering what had made the Uchiha's mood suddenly improve. Gently tapping his hand to get his attention, Sakura questioned him.

"Why are you in such a good mood so suddenly? I mean...I'm not complaining! But out of nowhere, your mood began to improve. Happy to get home or something?"

The Uchiha simply looked down at her.

"I'm just looking forward to our trip together," was all Sasuke would tell her before going quiet once more. When the two reached his house, Sasuke stepped up to the door and put his key in the lock, pausing to look at Sakura. "Well, actually, I have something for you." This got Sakura's attention. Opening the front door, Sasuke pocketed the house key and motioned for her to follow, leading her through until they stopped in the kitchen. Sakura stared quietly, first confused then surprised.

"Sasuke, what...?"

In front of them was a meal made for two, the meal having some of Sakura's favorite foods and some of Sasuke's favorite foods. Next to the meal was a single bottle of wine with two glasses set next to the bottle. Motioning for Sakura to sit, the Uchiha took his own seat and offered a smile before he began to explain.

"Today is your last day in Konoha," he began slowly. "I wanted to try making it a good last day. So I decided I would do this. My clone earlier? This is the 'something' I needed him to take care of while we were gone. I don't really know much about wine, so when we left the hospital I had my clone go there to talk to Ino. She said this seemed to be your favorite, so while we were out today, I had my clone...well, make this happen," he explained, the Uchiha trailing off at the end as he looked down at the food. "I just...after all I've done bad to you, and you never really giving up on me, I wanted to make your last day in Konoha a good- Sakura? Are...What's wrong? Are you crying?"

Sakura was, in fact, starting to cry. Not from sorrow or disappointment, but the fact that Sasuke would even try to do something nice for her like this, even though he struggled just showing he cared, made Sakura happier than she had been in a long time. Wiping the tears away, Sakura laughed and quickly shook her head, trying to stop the tears from forming. The pink haired woman sniffled and laughed again as she wiped at her eyes.

"Sasuke, I'm fine. I just didn't expect you to try something like this. Just spending the day with you was good enough for me, but then you go and do something like this..." Sakura smiled warmly and placed a hand on his cheek, Sasuke closing his eyes at her touch, unsure of how to respond. "This is more than good, Sasuke. This has honestly been a great day," Sakura promised as she lowered her hand. Sasuke opened his eyes then and glanced at the food briefly,

"I actually have another gift for you, Sakura, but we should eat first," Sasuke finally replied. The two began to eat and drink, Sasuke agreeing to try wine. It tasted a little odd to him at first, but by his second glass he seemed to enjoy it enough. Sakura grinned at him when he admitted this and the two ended up laughing, Sasuke grinning at her. "I admit, it isn't bad," he finally said after finishing his glass, Sakura nodding with a warm smile, the woman resting her hand against her cheek. Sakura ended up staring at Sasuke then, cheeks tinted pink as she watched the Uchiha male, simply studying him. Sasuke froze when Sakura suddenly leaned over and kissed the man, pressing her lips gently to his. The moment their lips touched, both of then suddenly froze, seeming zoning out. For Sasuke, he saw the same mysterious woman he had seen earlier, the woman in the black and red robes. For Sakura, though, she saw a man. The man was around the height of Sasuke with long, wild reddish-brown hair, the man wearing white robes with black symbols of the Sage. The man stared at Sakura with an intense gaze, his eyes hardened yet caring. Just as soon as the visions came to them it ended, and Sakura pulled away from Sasuke, sitting back in her chair as she stared at the Uchiha in front of her. There was a name on Sakura's mind, the name of the man from the vision, though it was quickly fading from her mind. The two stared at each other, Sasuke seeming almost uncomfortable over what happened.

"I...I'm sorry, Sasuke," Sakura whispered. "I just...couldn't resist. I mean...you know how I feel, and after this surprise and all..." the pink haired woman tried to explain, but Sasuke just shook his head a bit.

"It's...fine, Sakura," Sasuke replied after a moment, feeling a little dizzy suddenly as he watched her, his Sharingan forming in his eyes out of instinct. "Uh...Oh, right. Sakura, I had something I wanted to give to you, actually. Could you wait here for a moment?" The Uchiha finally asked when the shock wore off. After Sakura nodded a bit, Sasuke got up and walked away to his room, leaving Sakura to sit alone. Sakura stared down at her food, feeling embarrassed but looked up when Sasuke returned a few minutes later, the Uchiha having his right hand in his pocket. "When you are done eating," was all Sasuke said as he sat back down.

"Sasuke, uhm...can I ask something? About...your clan?" Sakura whispered several seconds later, unable to look at Sasuke due to feeling worried he would get angry or upset. Sasuke stared at the woman for a moment before he sighed softly and nodded.

"Yes, Sakura?"

"Why...Why do you want to fix the rest of the Uchiha Compound? I mean...I get it, it's your home and all. But like, isn't it...difficult...living here?" Sakura asked slowly, choosing her words carefully in hopes of not upsetting the Uchiha. "I mean...so many people died here..." Sakura added in an even quieter voice, unable to meet his gaze. When Sasuke didn't answer, Sakura slowly looked up only to find the Uchiha staring blankly at her. "Sasuke...?" Sakura began.

"Please...Please Itachi-san, don't hurt me," Sasuke suddenly begged in the voice of a child, seeming terrified. Sakura watched with wide eyes as Sasuke stood and screamed as if in pain before his voice changed to sound like an older man. "Itachi, why are you doing this?! Why would you betray your clan!?" Sasuke shouted at Sakura, Sakura flinching a little but staying quiet. Once again, Sasuke's voice changed and the Uchiha spoke with tears in his eyes. "I...Itachi-san...please...don't kill me..." he begged weakly, barely above a whisper as tears went down his face. "Oh god...NO! PLEASE LET ME GO! PLE-" Sasuke screamed in pain then and held his head, shaking his head side to side. When Sasuke's screams ended, he just stood with his head in his hands, his voice switching to sound like his older brother, the man behind all the deaths Sasuke was reliving. "You aren't even worth killing..." Sakura, feeling freaked out by Sasuke's actions, shook the man by his shoulders before simply hugging him tightly. Sasuke became silent then for several seconds before he slowly hugged back and whispered, "The things I saw that night...what Itachi said and showed me...my clan dying...That will always be with me, Sakura." Taking a breath, Sasuke added, "Even with all that, I...I can't leave this place. It's all I have left of my family."

After pulling away from the hug, Sasuke cleared his throat and wiped his eyes with his sleeve before he looked at Sakura. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything...Look...I still have something to give you." Sakura seemed worried and unsure now but, not wanting to upset the Uchiha, simply nodded, though she kept a small frown. Out of his pocket Sasuke pulled out a black scroll that held the Uchiha symbol in the center, the edges of the scroll lined with a golden color. "This...I thought maybe you'd want to have it. It's the history of my clan. Not only that, but...It also explains how to do my clan's signature fire style jutsu. I...hoped that maybe you would want to learn it. If not, that's fine. I could teach you if you wanted." Sasuke held the scroll out to Sakura, the pink haired woman gently taking the scroll and staring at it for several seconds before her gaze returned to Sasuke.

"Sasuke, I promise I will read this entire scroll," Sakura whispered gently. "And...I don't know if I'd even be good at learning the jutsu, but I promise I will do my best to do it."

"I could lend you some of my chakra if you'd like. It should make it easier for you, until you learn to do it. We could start during our trip. But, it's late now and I had one last thing for us to do. Could you follow me outside?" Sakura simply nodded and followed the Uchiha out, the two slowly walking through the Uchiha compound until they made their way down towards the lake. Sakura paused when she saw a large blanket spread out in the grass and gave Sasuke a quick glance before looking at the blanket again.

"It's a nice night," Sasuke explained slowly, watching Sakura with his spinning Sharingan, "So...I figured you might enjoy sleeping under the stars." Sakura smiled gently and the two moved to the blanket, laying down next to each other, Sasuke staring up at the night sky. "I am sorry about my...freak out, Sakura. I hope it didn't ruin your day to have to hear that."

"Sasuke, today was a great day. I'm sorry for even asking about why you stay. It's my fault you freaked out. Just...let's just enjoy the rest of the night. We leave in the morning, right?"

"As soon as we're ready in the morning, yes," Sasuke agreed.

As the two studied the stars, Sakura gently hugged Sasuke. "Thank you for making my last day so great," Sakura mumbled softly. From the long day they had, plus the wine Sakura drank, she suddenly realized just how tired she was. A full belly didn't help things, either. Sasuke simply stared at the stars for a while before he looked over, his Sharingan glowing in the dark.

"Good night, Sakura," Sasuke mumbled as his eyes slowly shut.

"Good night, Sasuke...I love you..." Sakura mumbled back, smiling as she drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

[Note: This chapter is longer, around 2-3 chapters worth. The reason it is so long is to make up for taking SO long to make a new chapter. Hope you enjoy.]

When Sasuke woke up the next morning, the Uchiha stared in silence as Sakura remained asleep, studying her with his Sharingan. Though he wanted to let her sleep, he also knew that leaving sooner than later would be for the best. If they were to be distracted, it would only set them back, Sasuke reasoned. After allowing the woman to sleep for a few more seconds, Sasuke cleared his throat as he sat up. "Sakura," Sasuke began, staring once more, his Sharingan spinning. "We have to leave soon," Sasuke explained. Sakura hummed softly as she opened her eyes, glancing up at Sasuke. She stared, as if confused, but soon nodded and rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up.

"Right," Sakura murmured as she stretched, groaning softly as she cracked her back. "That was very relaxing," Sakura spoke up. When Sasuke glanced over, Sakura smiled and explained, "Sleeping under the stars, I mean." Sasuke gave a nod as he helped her up.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"After we get ready, we can head out," Sasuke said as he carried the large blanket as the two made their way back up towards his house. "Shower, get something to eat, whatever you need. We can head out as soon as we're set." Sakura gave a nod and offered a smile. After opening the door for Sakura Sasuke followed her inside and walked off to put the blanket away, calling back, "Eat whatever you want, Sakura. My clone picked up a few things while we were out yesterday."

Sakura looked around the kitchen after Sasuke left before she went over and checked the fridge. She looked at her choices and smiled a bit. Sasuke's clone had gotten a carton of eggs, a thing of orange juice and a small thing of bacon. Knowing Sasuke didn't like sweets that much, Sakura called out, "Sasuke, did you get any coffee? I could make some for you if you want." There was a long pause, the sound of the shower running filling the silence. As she waited, Sakura began to cook the eggs and bacon, humming softly to herself. She was in a very good mood that morning.

"Coffee would be great, thanks," Sasuke finally called back. Sakura gave a nod to herself and quickly made handsigns, the created clone moving over to begin the coffee as the real Sakura worked on the food. When the food was cooked, and the coffee was made, Sakura set them on the table and sat down, her clone popping into a cloud of smoke. Sakura ate slowly, her thoughts focused on the journey she and Sasuke would soon be leaving on. Where would they go first? What sort of things did Sasuke want to do on his trip? Sakura also wondered about something Sasuke had said the previous day. Sasuke had said he saw a woman with long black hair, when the only two that had been in the room were Sasuke and herself. "Who was he talking about...?" Sakura asked herself with a soft sigh.

"I don't know who it was, but I only saw her for a moment," Sasuke answered her. Sakura had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the Uchiha coming into the kitchen. Sakura jumped a bit at the surprise before letting out a long sigh, offering a smile as Sasuke took a seat at the table. "I'll look into it, though. She felt almost...familiar, though. I don't know why," Sasuke explained before taking a sip of coffee. After setting the cup down, Sasuke stared silently at Sakura, working over in his mind how to explain the first stop of their trip.

"So...I have to make a stop and say sorry," Sasuke said slowly, clearing his throat. "I was a bastard back then and...well...I need to say sorry and make things better."

"Who is it?" Sakura questioned.

"Karin Uzumaki. She saved my life many times with her healing, and in the end I was willing to stab a Chidori spear right through her just to get to my target, AND tried to get you to kill her. So...I need...or want, to make things better. That's a big part of our trip, after all. Making things better, me trying to be a better person." Sakura gave a nod of understanding, smiling a little, happy that Sasuke wanted to be a better person.

"So we're going to go see...Karin, first?" Sakura asked after a small pause, a small frown coming to her face. Sakura didn't exactly like the redheaded woman, with how clingy she acted around Sasuke. But if Sasuke wanted to apologize and make things right, how could Sakura possibly say no? The two soon finished their breakfast and quickly washed the dishes before heading outside. It was a beautiful morning, the sun shining and the sky clear of clouds. The two looked at the sky for several seconds before Sasuke pulled out a small scroll and unrolled it on the ground. Placing a hand on the seal inside, he sent his chakra into it. After a small flash of light, Sasuke's pet hawk was summoned, the bird landing lightly on Sasuke's shoulder. The hawk was a snow white color, her wings having black at the tips. She was a little small, though Sasuke liked the bird because of how quickly it could fly. He thought it was very useful for when he needed to get messages delivered quickly.

"Hello, Natsumi," Sasuke greeted the bird in a gentle voice, a smile on his face. "I'm going to send you ahead to let Karin know we're stopping by," Sasuke explained. After writing a small note, Sasuke attached it to Natsumi's leg and the bird took off.

"New hawk? She's beautiful," Sakura commented, watching the bird fly away.

"I actually found her about a month ago," Sasuke replied, looking over to Sakura with his small smile. "She was hurt, so I nursed her back to health. I was planning to let her go, but, well, she seems to enjoy staying with me," he explained with a shrug before he motioned for Sakura to follow as he began to walk, putting the summoning scroll away as he headed towards the village gates. Though Sasuke had been upset the previous night, Sakura noticed that he seemed to be in a good mood as the two walked together. Sasuke was even keeping his small smile. Seeing Sasuke happy, Sakura couldn't help but smile herself.

"Any other new friends?" Sakura asked with a soft grin. Sasuke took a moment to think it over before he nodded, glancing at the medic.

"A new snake, actually. Naga. I've had her for a while now, actually. She had babies a little ago, actually, though they are too young to use in battle. Naga's saved my life a few times. She's a great snake." Sasuke paused for a moment before adding to explain, "A few people have tried to poison me in a fight. She removes the poisons for me, so no worries about any damage done." Sakura gave a small nod though seem a little uncomfortable about learning people tried poisoning the Uchiha. When the two arrived at the gates they were stopped by the guards on duty.

"Whoa, where are ya going, Sakura-san?" one guard, a young man named Toro, asked. "I haven't seen ya leave in a looong time. Aren't you supposed to be at the hospital...?" Sakura gave a soft smile and pulled out the passport Kakashi had given her, opening it up to show Toro.

"Kakashi-sensei gave me permission to leave with Sasuke-kun for a while," Sakura explained. Toro checked the passport before giving it back, the man glancing at Sasuke.

"You...uh...are leaving with the Uchiha?" Toro finally asked, seeming a little bothered. "But, doesn't the hospital need you?!"

"Well...I put Ino in charge for now. It'll be fine, I trust Ino enough to run the hospital. Besides, there's no way in hell I'm letting Sasuke just wander off alone again! I've waited this long, no way am I just going to let him leave again."

Toro took another quick look at Sasuke and frowned a bit. "Well...okay I guess," he finally said, nodding that they could leave.

"Bye, Toro," Sakura called out as they began leaving the village. "Tell your mom I said hi!"

"Sure thing! Bye bye, beautiful!" Toro called back with a goofy grin.

Sasuke paused mid-step at Toro's words and slowly turned to face him, his Rinnesharingan slowly forming in his left eye, his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan coming to the right. "Don't flirt with my girlfriend," Sasuke said in a calm tone. Only a second of looking into Toro's eyes is all it took for him to fall, Sasuke knocking him out with a genjutsu from his Rinnesharingan. Sakura gasped as Toro fell and glared at Sasuke. From her anger, the pink haired woman actually slapped Sasuke across the face.

"Sasuke! What the hell?! It was just a compliment!" Sakura shouted, clenching her fists.

"Flirting," Sasuke replied, his face already becoming red where she slapped him. "Would you relax? It was a harmless genjutsu. I've survived way worse than the things I showed Toro." At his words, Sakura glared a little more.

"Sasuke! He's, like, 17!" Sakura pointed out.

"So...? When I was that age, I was murdered by one of the strongest Uchihas during a war and found out I was the reincarnation of the man who created ninjutsu," Sasuke replied, crossing his arms as his eyes slowly returned to their normal black color. "Plus, it was a weak genjutsu. He'll wake up in around an hour. What's the big deal? I didn't hurt him."

"That man, Indra right? His name? The father of your clan? The man you are the reincarnation of?" Sakura questioned. Sasuke slowly gave a nod, Sakura's next words making him feel terrible. "Do you think Indra would be happy to know the LAST Uchiha was acting like nothing more than a thug?" Sasuke slowly uncrossed his arms, a small frown coming to his face as he stared at the angry woman in front of him. He opened his mouth to say something, but Sakura simply turned and said, "Whatever, I guess. Let's just go, Sasuke," before she began to walk. As they left the village, Sakura called back to the guards, "Let Toro know I hope he's okay. And if he isn't, you better have the hospital call me." With that, Sakura became silent as they walked, soon out of sight from the guards. Sasuke watched Sakura silently, the Uchiha still frowning at her words. He wondered, briefly, how Indra WOULD react to how Sasuke had reacted to Toro flirting a little with Sakura. Sasuke had to admit, he did react harshly. But, the old Sasuke would have simply killed someone who annoyed him. He figured a weak genjutsu wasn't too bad, but he could see why it angered Sakura. Sighing, Sasuke ran a hand through his hair before reaching out, grabbing Sakura lightly by the wrist.

"Sakura. You can't deny I reacted better than I would have in the past," Sasuke pointed out as Sakura pulled free from his grip.

"Sasuke. Let's just drop it, alright? Talking about it doesn't change anything, so why waste time?" Sakura asked. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak but Sakura cut him off by quickly saying, "Besides, we need to go see Karin so you can say sorry and anything else you feel you need to do. Wouldn't want to be late."

Sasuke gave a sigh but shut up, figuring it was best to just leave Sakura alone for a while.

The two had been traveling for nearly an hour when Sasuke's hawk Natsumi returned, the bird landing softly on Sasuke's shoulder. She had a small note tied around her leg, and as Sasuke walked he took the note and began to read to himself. The Uchiha soon gave a soft sigh and crumpled up the letter, a darkness coming to his eyes. Sakura noticed, and despite their fight she wanted to know what was wrong.

"What is it?"

Sasuke remained silent, a look of annoyance spreading across his features. Natsumi remained on his shoulder, simply waiting to see if she would be needed again.

"Sasuke? Hello?" Sakura repeated, tapping his bandaged hand softly to get his attention. The Uchiha blinked, his anger melting away as his focus turned to the pink haired medic.

"Wait? Oh, sorry. It would seem that Orochimaru will be at the base we're heading to. I was hoping to avoid seeing him, but it seems that won't be possible. I guess we won't be staying as long as planned," Sasuke explained, handing Sakura the crushed note so she could read it herself. "We're not far from the base," Sasuke told her, motioning to Natsumi that she could leave if she wished. The hawk took off, though chose to stay close, simply flying high above the two in case she was needed again. "Just...Sakura, be on guard, alright? Orochimaru may claim to have changed since the war, but I don't trust him at all. You shouldn't, either, or you could end up dead. I mean, he claims to have changed since the war, claiming he is no longer evil. But when I last saw him, he looked much younger, so he's obviously still stealing a person's body." Sakura gave a small nod, looking angry at Orochimaru's actions.

"So he pretty much hasn't changed at all, has he?" the pink haired medic asked.

"Not at all, in my opinion. He's just not dumb enough to openly cause trouble. He knows me or Naruto could kill him in seconds if he tried anything."

When the two neared the base, they saw a group of angry men at the entrance, the leader of the group shouting as he banged on the door. "Let us in, you fuckers!" the man yelled, banging on the door three times before he lowered his hand. Sasuke 20 men at least, each man looking ready to fight at any moment. Sasuke and Sakura stood still, watching quietly before the Uchiha gave a soft sigh, shaking his head.

"If we want in, we'll need to get through them," Sasuke muttered, placing his Zetsu hand on the hilt of his katana. "So I guess we better kill them quick-"

"Sasuke, could you try just once to not jump to killing as a first response? Come on, I'm sure just seeing you should send them away. You're practically a god, no way would they be dumb enough to attack you." Sasuke stared at Sakura with a small glare but finally just sighed and took his hand off his katana, giving a small nod.

"Fine, Sakura. But I'm not promising anything. If they attack, then whatever happens happens."

With that, Sasuke approached the group, whistling to get their attention. "I need to get inside, and your men are in the way. Any chance you can get out of our way?" Sasuke called to the leader, the man turning to face him, glaring at the Uchiha.

"We're not leaving until this snakeface fucker pays us!" the leader shouted back.

"Tch...What's your name?"

"I'm Kenji, why the fuck do you care?"

Sasuke stared.

"Well, Kenji, I need to get inside. So if you could stop screeching about being owed money..."

"I told you, we aren't leaving until this fucker pays us! We gave him what he wanted, so he better pay up!" Kenji yelled back, clenching his fists. Sasuke glanced at Sakura, getting annoyed.

"And what exactly is he paying you for?" Sasuke asked after taking a moment to calm down, not wanting to start a fight if he didn't have to.

"Orochimaru paid us to give him a few of the criminals from our village. He says he needs them for experiments, something about trying to make a body last longer. So we gave the bastard five prisoners, but he hasn't paid us, and that was over a month ago," Kenji explained, turning back to pound on the door again. Sasuke glared as the man turned away, his hand slowly moving back onto his katana.

"Last chance. I need to get inside, and I'm trying to ask nicely. Are you going to get out of my way or not?"

"I already told you, you deaf asshole, we aren't leaving until we get our money!"

With that, Sasuke sighed and looked at Sakura, giving a small shrug. "I'll do my best not to kill any of them," he promised her before he ran into the crowd of men. Once in the middle, Sasuke slammed his hand down, a surge of electricity leaving his body in each direction to shock the men. The jutsu only knocked out five of them, and the rest, now even more pissed off, turned on Sasuke, hopping back from him. Sasuke stood, quickly doing handsigns. Before he could use his jutsu, he saw Sakura rushing by him at the men. Sakura jumped up, slamming her fist down in front of the group as she landed. The ground exploded, sending men flying left and right, some crashing into the base with a loud thud.

"Hey, I can help out too, damn it!" Sakura called to Sasuke as she began dodging Kenji's attacks, a grin on her face despite the two of them being in a fight. Sasuke watched, a small smirk coming to his face before nodding and rushing in to join Sakura. The two split up, Sakura rushing one side of the group as Sasuke rushed the rest. Slamming his hand down, Sasuke sent a stream of Chidori at his targets. The men jumped to avoid the attack, and Sasuke smirked, doing a quick handsign. From the end of the stream, under the men, chunks of the ground shot up, slamming into the men. Sasuke stood, jumping up to come face to face with Kenji. He kicked off the man's chest, sending him slamming into the ground below while Sasuke was launched at his men. Sasuke threw his katana at one of the men, the man dodging easily. Sasuke used his Rinnesharingan to switch places with his blade, the sword stabbing into the ground as Sasuke grabbed the man and pulled him close. They fell, and at the last second Sasuke moved to slam his foot into his chest, slamming the man roughly into the ground. The man coughed blood, but Sasuke moved on after seeing he was still alive. Using Almighty Pull, Sasuke pulled his katana back to him and smirked as he ducked, barely dodging a barrage of shuriken flying at him. "Oh, shuriken huh? Let me show you how it's done, then!" Sasuke laughed and jumped back, making nine clones. Sasuke and the clones began quickly throwing their shuriken at the group, throwing fast enough that they were unable to dodge. They let out a yell of pain and fell, a few quickly getting back on their feet. Sasuke's clones popped and he rushed at Kenji. Kenji quickly did handsigns and a moment later let out a massive fireball, the ball of flames flying quickly at Sasuke. It seemed to hit him, but suddenly part of a nearby tree was taking Sasuke's place, the Uchiha appearing on what was left of the tree. He saw the flames were still going, and glared when he saw it was heading for Sakura. Sakura was too distracted with her fight to notice, and so before it could hit the woman Sasuke formed a Susanoo ribcage around her, the arms forming to catch the massive fireball. Sakura blinked when she felt the heat and looked behind her, chuckling a little shyly as she saw Susanoo.

"Sorry, Sasuke! Was a bit distracted! Been awhile since we've been in battle, huh?" Sakura called out. "Thanks for the save!" With that, Sakura rushed the last man in her group, dodging his punches as she stayed close. When she got an opening, Sakura smirked and slammed her chakra-covered fist into the man's stomach, sending the man crashing through several trees.

When it was just Kenji left standing, Sasuke motioned for Sakura to jump back, and once she did Sasuke summoned a circle of Amaterasu to keep Kenji from moving anywhere, the flames rising high each time he tried leaving the flame prison. With him trapped, Sasuke stepped forward, putting his katana away with a smirk. Kenji's men lay on the ground around them, some knocked out, some groaning in pain.

"Look, Kenji. Just leave now, and let us deal with Orochimaru. But if you get in our way again, we'll just have to beat you down some more. Do you understand?"

"YOU LITTLE PUNK, YOU THINK I'D LISTEN TO YOU?!"

"I said, do you understand?" Sasuke did slow handsigns before holding his hand out. Slowly, his snake Naga slithered out of his sleeve and towards the man. The Amaterasu parted for her, and she slowly began to wrap her way up the man's leg, tightening a little as she moved. Naga knew not to kill unless told, so she was simply going to scare the man. Once up his body, she stared at him, her eyes cold as ice. Kenji shivered, struggling against the snake but finally looked down, frowning.

"Fine, punk, we'll leave. But if we ever meet again, you'll regret it," Kenji muttered. Sasuke gave a nod, seemingly bored by the man's threat. Naga moved down and back onto the ground, moving up Sasuke until she was wrapped lightly up his arm. Sasuke offered the snake a smile, watching as Kenji and his men left, some of them having to use clones to help move the knocked out men. When they were gone, Sasuke watched as Naga slid back up his sleeve, the snake vanishing back to where he had summoned her from.

Sasuke stepped up to the door, knocking softly before glancing at Sakura. "If this doesn't take too long, we can keep traveling today. If not, we'll rest then continue tomorrow. I'm not sure how long it could take to get Karin to...well, to not hate me. After all, I did stab a Chidori through her then ordered you to kill her, and I haven't seen her since the war."

When the door finally opened, Karin stood there with a furious look in her eyes, growling as she spoke. "DAMN IT, I TOLD YOU IDIOTS TO LEAVE ALREAD-...Sasuke?" The Uzumaki's expression began to soften, but soon the anger returned. Without hesitation, Karin slapped the Uchiha as hard as she could across his face and began screaming once more. "YOU JACKASS, YOU TRY TO KILL ME, ORDER PINKEY HERE TO FINISH ME OFF, THEN AFTER THE WAR YOU DON'T EVEN BOTHER SAYING SORRY TO ME?!" Sasuke raised his hand, rubbing his cheek slowly to ease the pain. He was actually impressed at how hard the woman could hit when she was pissed. When Karin tried to slap him again, though, Sasuke easily caught her by the wrist, shaking his head with a soft sigh.

"Karin, would you just listen for a moment? I came here because I wanted to say I was sorry, and to ask you if you could maybe forgive me," Sasuke explained quickly, speaking fast because he saw Karin raising her other hand to hit him. The Uzumaki paused, staring at him with an unsure look. Slowly, Sasuke let go of her wrist, holding his hands up in a "don't hit me" gesture. When Karin made no further attempts to hit him, Sasuke slowly lowered his hands, offering the woman an awkward smile. It was hard for Sasuke to ask someone for forgiveness, but he really wanted to make things better between him and Karin. He knew how the woman felt about him, Karin making it very obvious when they used to be in the same team. Sasuke of course didn't feel the same way, but he hoped maybe the two could be friends at the very least.

"Can we come in?" the Uchiha asked after Karin stared at him for several seconds.

"Oh! Right, of course, Sasuke," the redhead replied, moving out of the way to let the two inside. She began to walk, motioning for the two of them to follow. They walked for a while through the dark base, the halls barely lit by torches. Sakura remained close to Sasuke, the Uchiha taking her hand to lead her. He could see just fine thanks to his Sharingan. When they entered a large room, Sasuke looked around, seeing a large table with scrolls and books laying around, the shelves in the room full of scrolls and books as well. Sasuke glanced at Karin, raising a brow.

"Light reading?" he questioned.

Karin smiled shyly and looked around.

"Oh, well...Orochimaru lets me study these when I'm not busy, so..."

Sasuke stepped up to the table, pausing when he saw a note on one of the many books. It was in Orochimaru's handwriting. Sasuke studied it with his Sharingan, reading it out loud.

"Karin, I've finished up with Mar's lesson for the day. I need you to clean the room and get it set up for later." Sasuke froze for a moment before reaching into his pocket, pulling out the small Uchiha necklace he had found the other day. He held it up, showing Karin, the Uchiha suddenly becoming very serious. Sakura looked at the necklace, looking confused.

"Huh? Why do you have an Uchiha necklace?" she questioned.

Voice serious, eyes cold, Sasuke said, "I found it the other day when I was coming home, Sakura. I find this, blood, and a note. And I heard somebody scream the name 'Mar'." Setting the small necklace on the table, Sasuke faced Karin, his harsh gaze making the woman flinch.

"W...What? I didn't do anything!" Karin shouted, though she seemed very nervous suddenly.

"The note," Sasuke began, shaking his head, "was begging for help. Said he was hurt more when his brother wasn't around. Want to explain what the hell that meant? Who is Mar, Karin?" Karin frowned, looking to Orochimaru's note on the table.

"I...I don't know, okay...?" she whispered. Sasuke slammed his fist down on the table, Karin jumping from shock. "I swear, Sasuke! I've never met this Mar guy! Orochimaru has me set up the room, and clean it after, but I've never met him!" Karin promised quickly. Sakura placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, holding him back as he took a step towards Karin.

"Sasuke, just take a breath, I'm sure Karin can explain if you give her a second. Just, calm down and listen."

The minute of silence it took Sasuke to reply was the longest minute of Karin's life, the woman's eyes full of fear at the anger Sasuke had shown. Finally, he spoke.

"Fine. I'll listen, but I want answers."

With that, the three sat at the table, Sakura sitting by Sasuke's side, Karin sitting on the other side of the table.

"The Uchiha necklace. Where'd it come from?" Sasuke asked, handing it over to the Uzumaki. Karin examined the small item, noticing it had some blood on the Uchiha crest. She frowned as she looked up, shaking her head.

"Maybe it belongs to this Mar guy? I don't know, Sasuke..."

Sasuke took a breath, taking the necklace back. He wasn't sure why he was so angry over it. Things involving his clan set him off easy, though, so he assumed the necklace was messing with him.

"Okay, and the note?"

"What exactly did it say?"

Sasuke paused to pull out a scroll that he sealed the note into and summoned it, setting it on the table. Sakura and Karin looked at the bloody note, Karin looking a little nervous and Sakura looking curious. Sasuke cleared his throat and began to read.

"Dear Brahma: Please come back soon, brother. I'm scared. It hurts. With you gone, he hurts me even more. Please save me." Finished reading, Sasuke looked up at Karin. "Know anyone named Brahma? Why is Orochimaru hurting this 'Mar' guy, Karin?"

Karin slowly shook her head, unsure of what to tell the angry Uchiha. She studied his features, his cold eyes, then looked down at the note.

"Look...I...All I know is a few times a day Orochimaru has me set up a sort of...torture room, I guess you could call it that. I hear screams for a while, but they always suddenly stop. When he calls me in, nobody is in there. Just...just blood. So I have to clean up after him, and later set up again when he calls me back. He doesn't say what he's up to. Just says 'perhaps this will be the one?'" Sasuke stood up suddenly, putting the bloody note away with the necklace. His EMS flashed into his right eye, the Rinnesharingan forming in the left.

"Is Orochimaru here right now? I want to talk to him. Maybe he can give me more answers than you can. I want to know more about this Mar person. And...if nothing else, maybe I can get Orochimaru to stop torturing for his little experiments. I usually wouldn't care, as long as he's not causing trouble, but this trip I'm on...It's all about me becoming a better person. And a good person wouldn't just ignore something like torture." After a pause, Sasuke looked at Karin, softening his gaze a little. He didn't come here to yell at the woman, after all. "I'm sorry. I just want to figure out what all this is about. Anyways, where is the snake?"

"He's...hm...he should be on the other side of the compound, in his room. He'll be there, or...try the training room. Likely at one of those places," Karin replied quietly, relaxing if only a little when Sasuke's tone became softer. Sasuke gave a small nod before looking at Sakura, offering the woman a small smile.

"Sakura? Do you want to come with me? Or do you want to wait here?"

Sakura didn't even hesitate, standing up to join him.

"Hey, I'm not gonna let you go see a monster like Orochimaru without backup," Sakura commented and followed as Sasuke began to walk. Karin hesitated, but soon she too began to follow, staying quiet as they traveled through the halls. Sasuke paused every now and then, looking around with a confused look.

"Did you guys hear that?" Sasuke finally asked after stopping for the third time, the Uchiha frowning a little as he looked around.

"Hear what?" Sakura and Karin asked, the two women looking a little confused.

"It sounded like-"

Before Sasuke could finish his words, the trio heard a loud screaming coming from further in the compound. Sasuke tensed, placing his zetsu hand on his katana. Sakura pulled a kunai out of her weapon pouch, gripping it tightly as she looked around, and Karin got in a battle stance.

"Karin, what is it?" Sasuke whispered, glancing at the Sensor woman. Karin closed her eyes for a moment before opening them, looking nervous.

"It...It feels pretty angry, like it wants to kill," Karin whispered back. "Whoever or whatever it is isn't happy." Sasuke gave a small nod at Karin's response, his Mangekyou scanning the hallway around them. He didn't see anything, though soon the screaming could be heard once more. The three looked at each other for just a second before they began to run, Karin leading the group towards the source of the screams. The three ended up in one of Orochimaru's labs, and once inside they paused, looking at all the destruction.

Most of the people working in the lab had been killed, their bodies covered in burns. The lab itself was mostly ruined, equipment destroyed, machines thrown around, the walls cracked with what looked like punches. In the middle of the room, Karin, Sakura and Sasuke discovered just what had been causing all the trouble.

In the middle of the room stood a very large creature, the beast standing at least 10 feet tall, standing on two legs like a human. It's skin was a black stone, with lava seemingly flowing between the cracks of rock. It's eyes glowed like embers, a burning anger held in them. A scientist tried to run from the monster, but it grabbed him, easily wrapping its large hand around his face as it lifted him into the air. The scientist screamed in pain as his face was being burned from contact with the beast, but his screams died out when the monster snapped his neck and threw him across the lab. Sasuke, Sakura and Karin dodged the body and landed near the beast. Its focus turned to Sasuke, the monster staring directly at him with a look of pure hatred in its eyes. It ran at Sasuke, its size causing the ground to crack under its feet as it ran at the Uchiha. Sasuke dodged a punch, ducking just before the hit could connect with his face. He knew a hit from a monster like that would do a lot of damage. Jumping back to avoid another hit, Sasuke shouted, "Karin, what the hell is this thing?" Sasuke let out a shout of pain as the lava monster grabbed him by the ankle, gripping hard as it slammed the Uchiha down. The force of the slam cracked the floor beneath him and Sasuke coughed up blood. Before the beast could follow up with a punch to Sasuke's chest, it suddenly staggered, a good portion of its torso shattering as Sakura slammed a chakra-charged punch into the monster.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HIM!" Sakura shouted, giving a spinning kick to the beast's face. Sakura's hit landed, knocking the beast back once more, its face broken as well. As Sakura and Karin helped Sasuke up, they stared in shock as the beast began to heal, its body soon back to perfect condition.

"This is not going to be fun," Sasuke muttered under his breath. The monster, once again, was staring directly at Sasuke. Without another moment of hesitation, the three split up, Sasuke staying in front of the beast as Sakura jumped to be on its right side, Karin taking the left. "Don't let it grab you, you'll get burned," Sasuke warned the women, Karin and Sakura nodding as they took note. Sakura rushed the lava monster, attempting to give it a mountain-shattering punch to the torso again. The beast switched its focus from Sasuke to Sakura, swinging its large arm fast enough to catch Sakura across the face. The Haruno woman let out a pained cry as she was sent flying into the wall of the lab, her cheek burned from the hit. Seeing Sakura wounded angered Sasuke and the Uchiha let out a snarl as he rushed the monster. It attempted to hit him as he neared him, but he quickly dodged and spun behind it before hopping up onto it's back. He covered himself in a small Susanoo armor to protect against the heat before doing quick handsigns. "Chidor-" Sasuke froze with his Chidori an inch from hitting the beast in the shoulder. In his head, Sasuke could heard a voice whispering "Don't use chakra attacks, it'll drain them..."

His moment of distraction gave the beast enough time to throw Sasuke off, the Uchiha grunting as he crashed into Sakura. The two quickly got up, Sasuke holding his head as it began to pound.

"Sakura, Karin, don't...don't use any Ninjutsu. It'll absorb the attack," Sasuke quickly told the two. "We'll have to rely on normal attacks like during the war, against Madara," Sasuke added. The two looked confused, wondering how Sasuke knew what to do but finally gave a nod. As the beast neared Sasuke and Sakura, it was suddenly stopped as chains began to wrap around its body, holding it in place. Karin struggled to keep the monster in place, her Uzumaki chains barely able to keep it from advancing on Sasuke and Sakura. Even so, it gave Sasuke and Sakura time to roll out of the way, getting up next to Karin. The Uzumaki released the jutsu, the chains fading from her back.

"Thanks, Karin!" Sakura shouted as she hopped at the monster, slamming her fist into its back as hard as she could. She hopped back before her hand broke through the stone body of the beast, drops of lava 'blood' falling from the wound. Sasuke put his hands together, closing his eyes as small Susanoo armors covered Sakura, Karin and himself, his katana being covered as well to deal more damage.

"This should offer protection, but don't risk anything if you don't have to," Sasuke told the group. He then ran in and began to fight the beast. The monster swung quick punches at Sasuke, but the Uchiha quickly blocked with his Susanoo-enhanced katana, even managing to cut chunks off the beast when he got an opening. The rocky body parts fell to the ground, turning to ash in seconds. Even with the damage from Sakura's punch and Sasuke's cuts, the monster simply kept healing. Turning its focus from Sasuke to Karin, the Uzumaki woman trying to lure the beast away from the Uchiha, the monster rushed the woman and put its hands together, bringing them down hard like a hammer at the redheaded woman. Before the attack could land, Sasuke was in front of the Uzumaki, blocking the attack with his katana. He struggled as the beast kept trying to push him down. Slowly, the Susanoo cover on his katana began to break before the blade itself shattered. Sasuke grabbed Karin and threw a kunai across the room. Before the monster could hit the two, at the very last second, Sasuke used his Rinnesharingan to switch places with the kunai. The kunai stuck into the beast's right shoulder, an explosive tag wrapped around the kunai handle. With a single handsign, the kunai blew up, causing the monster's arm to explode as well, his entire right side slowly crumbling to ash. Sasuke knew the damage wouldn't give them much time, however. As the Uchiha set Karin down, the woman blushed and stared at him, looking surprised.

"Y...you...saved me?" she whispered. The Uzumaki couldn't help but feel surprised. Before the war, Sasuke had impaled her on a Chidori spear just to get to his target. He called her a burden when Danzo grabbed her as a human shield, saying she was of no use to him anymore if she could get captured so easily. And yet here the Uchiha was, just two years after the war, saving her life without hesitation. It seemed the Uchiha really had been trying to change.

"Of course I saved you. I'd be a monster to just let you die," Sasuke replied. "But listen, we need to try getting this monster outside, then attack it with everything we have. When it's weakened enough, I'm going to try to open a portal to trap it in another dimension," Sasuke explained quickly. "It seems to keep targeting me, so lets get its attention." Karin and Sakura nodded and ran from the room. Sasuke stayed behind, wanting to lead the monster out. When the lava monster's body had healed once more, Sasuke threw a simple kunai at it to get its attention. The monster turned to Sasuke and glared before dashing for the Uchiha. Sasuke turned quickly and began running as well, looking behind him every now and then to check if the monster was following. It was, and was even gaining on Sasuke, the tall beast letting out a loud scream of pure rage. Sasuke quickly turned a corner, the beast crashing into the wall before it continued chasing the Uchiha. Down the hall, Sasuke could see a large opening, Sakura and Karin standing by it.

"Sasuke, out this way!" Sakura shouted.

"Hurry! It's right behind you!" Karin added.

Sasuke nodded to himself before he focused chakra to his feet, crouching low before he pushed off the ground, launching himself the rest of the way down the hallway. Sasuke, Sakura and Karin quickly ran outside, jumping back from the compound just as the monster exited as well. Sasuke motioned to Karin and Sakura, a serious look on his face.

"Alright, you two. Let's end this quick before one of us gets really hurt, or ends up dead," Sasuke said calmly. Sakura gave a nod, the seal on her forehead activating and spreading. Karin focused, the chakra chains coming from her once more. And finally, Sasuke pulled out a kunai, his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan and Rinnesharingan burning with determination. "If we don't stop this thing, it might get away and hurt others...so lets finish this." With that, the three rushed the lava monster. Karin dodged a kick from the beast, sliding past it and behind it. As it tried to swing a punch at Sasuke, Karin quickly shot her chains out, wrapping them around the monster's arm, holding it in place. Sakura jumped far back, landing on the palm of a small Susanoo hand. With all its power, the Susanoo launched Sakura at the monster, Sakura focusing all of her power into her punch. When it hit, the monster stood still at first as if nothing happened. But then slowly it began to crumble, slowly falling to the grass as ash. Karin, Sasuke and Sakura stared for a moment, Sasuke studying the beast's ash remains with his Rinnesharingan.

Sasuke's eyes slowly widened as the beast began very slowly reforming. First the legs reformed, then the torso, one arm at a time before finally the head reformed from the ashes. Not only was the beast reformed, but it stared at Sasuke with a look so angry it sent chills down the Uchiha's spine. As he watched, the beast opened its mouth wide. Eyes widening more, Sasuke shouted, "Sakura! Karin! Move!" A moment later, the monster began to spit lava as if doing a fire style jutsu. Sasuke, not having any time to come up with a plan, did the only thing he could do. Using his Rinnesharingan, Sasuke switched places with the women, shielding himself with a dense Susanoo ribcage. Despite the protection, Sasuke was still seriously wounded, the Uchiha screaming in pain as the left side of his face, his chest and right arm were burned badly. As Sasuke fell to his knees, the Susanoo shield faded away and Sasuke could barely stay up, having trouble breathing because of the pain he felt. The lava monster looked down at the young man, simply watching him for a moment before it reached down. Gripping Sasuke by the throat, it lifted Sasuke, starting to choke him without any hesitation. Sasuke struggled weakly, being burned more, his vision slowly going blurry as he started to run out of oxygen.

Before he passed out, however, a large white snake wrapped tightly around the monster's arm, tightening until it crushed it, the arm becoming ash. Sasuke fell, coughing and wheezing for air as he held his throat. Looking up, Sasuke saw Orochimaru standing at the hole in the wall Sakura had made, the Sannin smirking a little as he looked at Sasuke.

"It would seem you needed my help, Sasuke," Orochimaru greeted before he quickly slithered over in a snake form. When he got to the group, he stood back up as a human and crossed his arms. "And it seems you met my little project. Strange, though. Until now, it had been in a sort of sleep-like state. Then you arrive and suddenly it's causing all kinds of problems." Sakura and Karin rushed to Sasuke's side, Sakura beginning to heal his chest and arm. Karin held out her arm, pulling her sleeve up.

"Sasuke, bite. You need to heal if we're going to send this thing away!" Karin ordered. The Uchiha stared weakly but finally bit the Uzumaki's arm. Like so many times in the past when they had been on a team, Karin's healing chakra began to work on healing the Uchiha right away. As Karin and Sakura worked on quickly healing Sasuke, Orochimaru kept the lava monster away from them, using his snakes to fight the beast. Finally, when Sasuke was healed enough to stand again, Orochimaru hopped back to the group.

"I'll...I'll send him away now. I'll need a minute though, so keep him busy until I get the portal open," Sasuke ordered weakly, his Rinnesharingan glowing dark as he put his hands together. When the portal finally opened, Sakura, Karin and Orochimaru hopped back behind Sasuke. The portal opened up next to the lava monster. Shaking his head, Sasuke took a deep breath before he rushed one last time at the monster. He dodged several quick attacks, having to jump high to avoid the lava attacks. Finally, Sasuke flickered and appeared behind the monster. Summoning one last Susanoo shield, Sasuke rushed at the beast, slamming right into it. Susanoo arms formed and slowly Sasuke began to push the beast until finally Sasuke managed to grab the beast tightly. "Be gone!" he yelled, throwing the lava monster into the portal. Before it could rush back out, Sasuke closed the portal before falling to his knees, coughing up a large amount of blood. When he looked up at the others, his Rinnesharingan eye was bleeding badly. "It's...over..." he promised. Sasuke then fell forward, passing out, the Uchiha seemingly not breathing.

When he opened his eyes, Sasuke was surrounded by darkness. In front of him, a man as tall as himself stood. He had long, wild hair, a dark red-brown color, the Sharingan in his eyes. Sasuke knew right away who the man was, thanks to his time with the Sage of Six Paths during the war. The man appeared to be around 30 years old and wore a white robe with the markings of the sage around the collar area. His eyes were almost cold, a very serious look to them. Even with how strong Sasuke currently was, the feeling of this man's chakra made him feel like a low ranking Genin. Yes, Sasuke knew this man very well.

Indra Otsutsuki.

"What...?" Sasuke began.

"Hm. It seems that mindless beast is still around...And you had to fight it," Indra replied, the older man crossing his arms as he studied Sasuke.

"How are...? You are...?"

"Indra Otsutsuki. Father of the Uchiha, creator of Ninjutsu," the Otsutsuki replied in a serious tone, almost glaring at Sasuke. "Your original. But you already knew that, hm?"

"My...Original?" Sasuke asked slowly, seeming confused.

"Don't waste my time, boy. We both know you know about being my reincarnation. My latest, and my last reincarnation."

"I know who you are. You're the Sage's son. He did tell me I was your reincarnation...So why am I suddenly seeing you?"

Indra was quiet for several seconds, the man staring at Sasuke with an almost amused smirk.

"Simple. The seal is breaking, of course," Indra finally replied, his deep voice sounding amused.

"Seal? What are you talking about? I don't have any seals on me," Sasuke shot back, glaring at the Otsutsuki, an annoyed tone to his voice.

"Watch your tone, boy, and listen. Long ago, before I died, I used a reincarnation jutsu. But there was a catch. I would reincarnate over and over for 1,000 years." Indra lowered his arms, shaking his head. "And one of the things that...woke me up, I suppose you could say, was that monster you fought. I, too, fought it long ago." Sasuke listened silently, frowning a little before sighing, shaking his head.

"Why?" was all he could ask.

"Why what, boy?"

"You said you used a jutsu to reincarnate yourself. Why? Were you afraid to die?" Sasuke smirked, crossing his arms. Indra stared silently as his spiral Mangekyou formed in his eyes.

"Hm...not even close. I cursed myself to save the one I love."

Indra's response shocked Sasuke, the young Uchiha's smirk quickly going away. He watched the older man, unsure of how to respond, frowning as he thought it over.

"You saved the one you love...? What do you mean?" Sasuke finally asked in a small, quiet voice. Indra smirked, shaking his head.

"I suppose love is a new feeling to you, hm? Very well, I'll explain. If somebody hurt..." Indra paused as if trying to figure something out. "...Sakura. If they hurt her, and she was on death's door, would you simply let her die?" Indra questioned. Without hesitation, Sasuke shook his head.

"I wouldn't let Sakura just die, no. But what does that have to do with 'cursing' yourself, as you put it?"

"Hm...there was a battle. My wife was wounded badly while protecting me. She was dying, and there wasn't much I could do. I had been working on a jutsu that would...hm...allow one to live forever. But, it wasn't finished. And so, I used what I had. Before it was too late, I used a modified version of this jutsu, making it my love wouldn't fade...So I cursed us to be reborn countless times, never able to truly see each other again...or so I thought." Sasuke raised a brow, looking curious now.

"What changed?"

The Otsutsuki man smirked softly. "Two things changed. One, it would appear the jutsu has finally gotten too weak to work for another life. And two...you and Sakura are, for the first time, actually close. Your chakras...It would appear they have allowed me to finally wake up. Me...and my wife."

"Your wife...?"

Indra simply nodded.

"Hm...I was reincarnated in you, Uchiha Sasuke. Would it not make sense for my love to be reincarnated as someone close to you?" Indra crossed his arms once more, the Otsutsuki man smirking as Sasuke's eyes slowly widened.

"Wait...you mean...?" Sasuke trailed off, simply staring at Indra.

"Yes, Sasuke. If I was reborn as you, then my love...is within Sakura Haruno."

Sasuke wasn't sure what to say, feeling a little dizzy as he thought over everything he had learned. Looking up at Indra once more, Sasuke frowned, seeming unsure.

"You said the seals are weak now? What'll happen when they break finally?"

There was a long pause, the two men staring at each other, the Uchiha looking tired while the Otsutsuki looked serious once more.

"When the seals are finally broken, my wife and I will finally truly revive, as our own selves. Not into another person, but revived with our original bodies." Indra paused, shaking his head. "But I'm still not strong enough to come back just yet. There's still one more...task, that needs to be done before the seal breaks."

"And that task would be...?"

Indra only smirked, shaking his head.

"You will find out soon enough, Uchiha Sasuke. You'll know when the seal is broken." With that, Indra Otsutsuki began to fade, still too weak to show himself to Sasuke for long. "We'll meet again, Uchiha."

When Sasuke's eyes opened, he sat up in a bed, the room he was in dark with only a few torches for light. He gasped for breath, feeling dizzy. He looked around, noticing that his chest had bandages wrapped around it, though otherwise his wounds seemed to be mostly healed. His shirt was gone, though the rest of his clothes remained, the material of his clothes damaged from the battle with the lava monster. Looking around the room again, Sasuke slowly caught his breath, a frown coming to his face. As he looked around, Sasuke realized that the room he was currently in was his old room from when he was Orochimaru's student. Sasuke coughed harshly as he tried getting out of bed, though the Uchiha ended up falling, feeling too weak to stand yet. Where were the others? Sasuke wondered. As he sat up, leaning against his bed, Sasuke remembered meeting Indra. He frowned, holding his head in pain. "Indra...Shachi...Me and Sakura..." Sasuke sighed, lowering his hand, doing his best to ignore the ache in his head. He figured it was from meeting with Indra, and just hoped the headache would pass quickly.

Sasuke looked up as the door to his room slowly opened, tensing a little until he saw it was just Sakura. Sakura stared, as if surprised to see him up, but quickly went over, helping him off the floor and onto the bed.

"Sasuke! You're awake!" she cried out happily as she pulled him into a hug. When she felt Sasuke tense, she quickly let go, realizing she had hugged him too tight. "S-sorry. I-...We were so worried though!" Sasuke gave a tired smile.

"It's fine...But, how long was I asleep for?"

Sakura hesitated, looking away nervously.

"Well...this is day four, Sasuke. Your heart stopped a few times, but we managed to fix you up and now you should be fine. Sore, tired...but fine." Sasuke raised a brow, looking curious. His heart had stopped? Sasuke wondered if that was how he had met a long-dead man. Of course, from what he knew about the Otsutsuki, he didn't doubt it was, mostly, easy for Indra to show himself. After all, his father appeared to Sasuke during the war, and he had been dead longer than Indra. Hell, Indra's father was still around as a ghost, at least during the war.

"Uh...Sasuke? You okay...? You got a weird look on your face..." Sasuke mumbled. Sasuke blinked, shaking the thoughts away before looking at Sakura with a frown. Should he tell her about what happened? Or would that simply worry her? Sasuke thought it over for several seconds before he gave the pink haired woman a gentle smile.

"I...I'm fine, Sakura. It's just...Something weird happened while I was out." At Sakura's curious look, Sasuke began to explain everything he had learned, explaining everything he knew about Indra, telling Sakura everything even about them being reincarnations. When Sasuke finished, he looked at Sakura, rubbing his sore chest as he studied her, his Sharingan spinning slowly. "And then he just faded, saying we would meet again. So...I guess...Indra Otsutsuki is...sort of alive again?" Sakura was frowning by the time Sasuke finished telling her what he saw, feeling a little weirded out and also a little confused. She knew Sasuke was the reincarnation of Indra, but...she was a reincarnation as well? The Haruno woman shook her head and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, looking into his Sharingan eye.

"So...I guess that explains the weird things that have happened since you came home, huh? It's...I guess them trying to wake up?" Sakura ran a hand through her hair, letting out a long groan. "This is..." Sakura trailed off, not sure how to describe how she felt. Sasuke simply gave a nod.

"Weird...confusing...annoying..." Sasuke listed before shrugging. "He said one more thing was needed before he woke up, but he didn't explain how she would wake...I guess we'll figure it out soon, like it or not." Sasuke quickly changed the subject, asking, "Where is Orochimaru? I wanted to ask him about that Mar guy." There was a knock at the door before Karin entered, pausing as she looked at the two. Sasuke looked over, staring with a blank look before he offered a tiny smile. "Karin. Maybe you can help. Where is he? Where is Orochimaru? He's got some things to explain to me." Karin hesitated, smiling nervously at the Uchiha.

"He uh...he left, Sasuke. While you were asleep, he decided to leave to go to one of the other bases. He wanted to check up on the experiments there, and...well...I did hear him mention he'd be bringing that Mar guy, though. So...I guess if you track him down, you might be able to get answers."

Sasuke glanced at Sakura before he stood slowly, ignoring the pain that shot through his aching body. "I've got other things I have to deal with...I suppose hunting Orochimaru down will have to wait for now." Sasuke looked at Sakura, the woman gently holding onto his arm in case he needed help standing. Sasuke stared into her eyes, Sakura staring back, the Uchiha looking curious. "Besides...We did originally come here for a reason, right?" With that, Sasuke turned to Karin. "Karin, do you forgive me?"

Karin stared blankly at the Uchiha before she began to laugh, shaking her head. Sasuke frowned at her reaction, thinking she was refusing, but Karin smiled and shook her head more as she laughed.

"Sasuke, when we were fighting that monster, you didn't hesitate to save my life. The Sasuke I knew from before the war would have let me get killed, but you...you didn't even hesitate. Hell...you got burned by lava protecting the two of us! The old Sasuke wouldn't have jumped in the way like that." Karin gave him a warm smile, giving a small nod. "So...Yeah, I forgive you, Sasuke. Thank you...It does mean a lot that you felt the need to say sorry." Sasuke visibly relaxed at the Uzumaki woman's words, letting out a relieved sigh before he smiled softly, sitting back on his bed.

"Thank you, Karin...When I get better, we'll be heading out. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to send for me. I...well, I owe you more than I can ever repay. You've saved me life before, after all." Karin gave another nod and chuckled as she opened the bedroom door, stepping into the hall before turning her head to look back at the two.

"Alright, Sasuke. Anyways, while you guys are here, feel free to explore the compound," Karin replied before she walked away, heading down the dark hallway.

It was only a full 24 hours later that Sasuke was feeling better, the Uchiha ready to continue their journey. As he and Sakura walked away from the base, waving goodbye to Karin, Sakura asked Sasuke, "Hey...how is it you're already feeling better? I mean, your heart stopped a few times, you were that messed up from the fight." The Uchiha hummed in thought before raising his zetsu arm in response.

"Well, Senju DNA is known to make people stronger and heal faster right? I mean, Obito during the war survived having the 10 Tails ripped out of him and was still able to help with Kaguya, even if only a little. But...Also, I think it might be because of my new connection to Indra. I don't know...It's hard to explain, but I honestly just feel...better. My pain is gone, and the wounds healed up as well, leaving just a few scars. Of course, part of that was because you and Karin were healing me as well, but still." As the two walked, Sasuke looked at his fake arm and shrugged. "Ah...anyways, our trip continues, right? Unless you want to back out. It's still not too late, you know. Being nearly killed so early on in a trip seems like a good reason to quit."

Sakura gave him a playful glare, shaking her head.

"No way, Uchiha. I told you, I'm not going to just leave you alone. Besides, what if you get hurt again? I'm not going to let you go alone and get yourself killed."

Sasuke was actually very happy at her response, having secretly hoped she wouldn't want to leave him. Smiling, Sasuke lowered his zetsu arm and looked ahead.

"Very well, Sakura. Since you're sure about coming with me, then let's continue our trip. Our next stop...hm..." Sasuke stopped walking, glancing at Sakura with a small smile. "My katana broke during that fight. I need to get a new one at some point, so why don't we head to Sand next? Besides, I heard they were having trouble lately. Might be a good chance to improve people's opinion of me if I go to help out." Sasuke paused before adding, "Plus, I think I pissed off the Sand Village the least out of everyone." Sakura giggled softly and gave a nod of agreement.

With Sasuke healed and feeling much better, the two made it halfway to the Sand village by nightfall. The two decided to stop and set up camp, Sasuke using a small fire jutsu to get their fire started. The two sat quietly by the fire, their focus drawn to the crackling flames.

"You've gotten quicker since the war ended," Sasuke finally said to break the silence, the Uchiha glancing over at the pink haired woman. Sakura looked back and offered a smile, nodding a little.

"With you gone, Naruto had nobody to spar with. So, I've been sparring with Naruto lately. Don't want to get rusty, after all, or fall behind again." Sasuke hummed softly and gave a nod. He hesitated before standing up, holding his hand out with a smile. Sakura took his hand and stood as well, looking curious. "What is it, Sasuke?" she asked softly.

"Do you want to train with me? It's not too late, and after being in bed the last few days I feel a little restless," Sasuke explained, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. Sakura thought it over, humming softly. She wasn't tired either, and so Sakura gave a nod.

"Sure, Sasuke, that sounds good. What kind of training are we going to do?" Sakura looked at the Uchiha as he pulled out a scroll, the Uchiha chuckling softly as he handed it over. Sakura instantly recognized the scroll as the one the Uchiha had given her. "...You want me to practice your clan's signature jutsu right now?" Sakura finally asked, Sasuke giving an amused smile as Sakura took the scroll. "Hey, why did you even have this? You gave it to me." Sasuke shrugged, looking amused.

"You had it, relax. I just took it right now," the Uchiha promised. Sakura looked at the scroll and slowly opened it, taking a deep breath.

"Okay, I'll start practicing this jutsu tonight. What will you be doing?" Sakura questioned, sitting down with the scroll unrolled so she could began studying it. Sasuke watched Sakura quietly, the woman's focus on the scroll. He couldn't help but smile again. "Sasuke?" Sakura asked, looking up to see him smiling. "What?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just really am happy you're here with me, Sakura. That's all," the Uchiha replied softly, reaching down to tap her forehead with a warm smile. Sakura blushed and quickly looked back down at the scroll, mumbling under her breath. Sasuke chuckled and sat down next to her, tapping under his Rinnesharingan.

"To answer your question, though, I'm going to try getting better with this eye. I'm already skilled with it, but it never hurts to keep getting better." Sakura gave a nod and returned her focus on her scroll, reading in silence. As Sasuke got up to begin his training, Sakura gently tapped his hand. Sasuke looked down to see Sakura looking up at him with a smile.

"If you need healing or anything, just let me know, Sasuke," the medic told him. Sasuke gave a nod and walked off, not going too far away from their camp site. Closing his right eye, Sasuke looked around with his Rinnesharingan. Sasuke put his hands together and focused for several seconds. "Limbo: Border Jail," Sasuke murmured softly. Slowly, one by one, clones of Sasuke appeared. Unlike Madara's four clones, Sasuke was able to summon six. Sasuke closed his Rinnesharingan eye and opened his Sharingan eye, smirking a little when he was no longer able to see the clones. "Okay, so that works. Good." Sasuke shut his eye once more and opened his Rinnesharingan again to continue his training, the clones becoming visible once more with the help of his Rinnesharingan. Sasuke had the clones simply walk around, Sasuke watching in silence as he lowered his hands. Sasuke was able to hold the jutsu for five minutes before the clones returned to Sasuke, the Uchiha panting softly from the effort of making the jutsu last so long. He waited, and smiled a bit to himself when only 45 seconds after returning the clones he was able to summon them again. "Okay, good. I'm getting better at this." Sasuke made the clones go away for good, wanting to move on with his training.

Sasuke made a normal clone and had it walk ahead of him, the clone soon turning to face him. "Alright, now I'll practice absorbing chakra and attacks," Sasuke said to himself. With a nod to the clone, the clone quickly did handsigns before launching a massive fireball at the real Sasuke. Sasuke held his hand out, his Rinnesharingan glowing. As the fireball got close enough, it slowed as Sasuke drained it. Once the attack was drained, Sasuke let out a soft grunt and held his eye in pain. He quickly shook the pain off however and made the clone pop. Sasuke did his own handsigns but suddenly froze when he heard a voice.

"Hm, and what exactly are you doing?" the voice asked. Sasuke clenched his teeth.

It was Indra once more, speaking in his mind.

"Shut up, damn it. I'm not going to look like a crazy person by talking to myself," Sasuke snapped back. The Uchiha heard a chuckle in response.

"You aren't talking to yourself. Not technically."

"Shut...up. I need to get back to training."

"Hm. You want to get strong enough to always protect Sakura Haruno, don't you?" Indra questioned after a long pause, his tone making him sound almost proud of the last Uchiha. Sasuke refused to answer at first, but finally sighed, seeing no point in trying to ignore the Otsutsuki.

"I've become rusty. Ever since the war, I haven't exactly been in too many tough fights that require my Rinnesharingan. So, yes. I want to get better with it. After that monster attacked us...Well, I never want to risk Sakura getting killed. So I have to master this eye." Indra listened in silence, and didn't respond for so long that Sasuke thought the man had decided to leave him alone. Sasuke let out a soft sigh, putting his hands together once again to return to his training when Indra finally spoke once more.

"I see. Very well, Uchiha Sasuke. I'm still too weak to truly help you, but there is one thing I can gift you if you wish to grow stronger. I can give you the power, but you'd have to train it until you're stronger with it," Indra finally said. Sasuke became curious at his words, though was also a little unsure.

"And why would you bother helping me...?" Sasuke asked, whispering now so Sakura wouldn't hear him talking. He could hear the Otsutsuki man sigh softly.

"You are my heir, Uchiha Sasuke. You are the last Uchiha, a clan I helped start. You are my heir, so of course I care, little Uchiha." There was a small pause before Indra added, "So do you want what little help I can currently offer?"

Sasuke thought over Indra's offer, though still felt a little unsure. After spending most of his life trying to do things without help, Sasuke felt odd at the thought of taking help finally. Of course, it wasn't too odd for him. He had had help over the years, of course, despite his stubborn nature. Sakura protecting him in the Forest of Death when he was knocked out after getting the Curse Seal. Karin healing him multiple times during his time as leader of Taka. Even now, Sakura was with him on his trip. Letting out a soft sigh, Sasuke finally gave a nod.

"Fine, I'll take your help," Sasuke finally replied. He instantly regretted his choice. He felt a growing pain in his Zetsu arm, the Uchiha clenching his teeth as he clutched at the bandaged arm. As the feeling grew, Sasuke let out a pained gasp, gripping tightly. "What...What the hell's happening?" Sasuke asked Indra.

"I won't let an heir of mine rely on cheap methods of gaining power. You've done it all your life, haven't you? The Curse Seal. Taking your brother's eyes. My father giving you that Rinnesharingan. So here's the deal: I will give you a gift, but you will no longer rely on that fake arm of yours." After Indra replied, Sasuke let out a scream of pain as spikes of wood burst from his Zetsu arm, the wood slowly moving up the limb, wrapping tightly around it. "Hurry, little Uchiha, or the arm will destroy you." Before the vines could get to Sasuke's actually flesh, the Uchiha did the only thing he could. Using a Susanoo arm, Sasuke ripped the Zetsu arm off and threw it to the side. As the arm hit the ground, a small patch of flowers grew from the wood spikes sticking out of the too-pale flesh. Sakura had heard the screams of pain and came running. When she arrived, she saw Sasuke falling back, his arm bleeding badly after the Uchiha was forced to rip it off. As he fell, however, Sakura gasped in shock as small vines came from the ground to gently catch the Uchiha, the vines lowering softly to the ground.

The last thing Sasuke heard as he passed out was the fading voice of Indra Otsutsuki.

"Enjoy the only gift I can give you, little Uchiha. Enjoy the gift of...Wood Style."


End file.
